Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Amboy’s subject grades are an A− for history and a B+ for cost of living; the weakest is a C− for incomes. 11% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Amboy, against 29% in Illinois’ towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Only 4 of the 367 Illinois towns we compare have a lower property crime rate than Amboy. On the outdoors, just 61 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do worse. Amboy Illinois Central Depot is on the National Register of Historic Places. Amboy has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Amboy beats most towns.
Where Amboy’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Amboy is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,615 in 1860, 2,278 in 2020. The archive holds 15 old photos and papers going back to 1876 and 2 maps from 1951 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Amboy, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Amboy.
The typical Amboy home is worth about $183,000, up 9.2% in a year, 38% below the Illinois typical home. Amboy’s median rent is $824 a month, where Illinois’ towns sit at $1,129 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month.
| Amboy | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $824 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Since 2013, Amboy has added 103 jobs, to 740 in 2023. 13% of Amboy residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Dixon (12%), Chicago (5%) and Sterling (4%).
| Amboy | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Amboy has cold winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 14° and about 29 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Amboy's reported crime rate is well below Illinois's. Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2024.
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Amboy beats the Illinois average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 16% of adults smoke cigarettes in Amboy.
| Amboy | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Amboy | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.9% | 9.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.4% | 6.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 2008, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Amboy.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Amboy
About 3 of every 100 Amboy residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
7 notable people were born in Amboy.
City in Illinois, United States
Amboy is a city in Lee County, Illinois, United States, along the Green River. As of the 2020 census, Amboy had a population of 2,278.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Amboy.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amboy | — | — | B+ | — | B− | C+ |
| Amboy Township | #584 | C | B | — | B− | C+ |
| Marion Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Amboy has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Amboy and Amboy Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Marion Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Amboy with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
7 notable people were born here, including John F. McGee and Allen Doone.
