Wm Moats Farm1, 2007
Ashton Township’s story
159 years in pictures
Census counts: 646 in 1880, 967 in 2020. The archive holds 14 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 2 maps from 1952 on.
- 1867Ashton Township is settled
Ashton TownshipIL
5 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Uoila1 · Public domain
Population
1,120
2025 Census estimate · −3.4% since 2020
Median home value
$138K
Census ACS
Household income
$71K
median
Median age
43.1
years
Jobs based here
938
A job hub
Is Ashton Township a good place to live?
The best of Ashton Township’s subject grades is an A− for cost of living; the weakest is a C− for schools. 14% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Ashton Township, below both Illinois’ towns (29%) and U.S. towns (29%). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 77% of U.S. towns. Ashton Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Ashton Township stand out
Where Ashton Township beats most towns.
Small town
1,120 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Lafayette TownshipFranklin Grove TownshipReynolds TownshipBradford TownshipTaylor TownshipAshton Township
How Ashton Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Ashton Township is from typical.
Cost of livingTypical home $138K, 2 years of the Dixon area’s $70K median household incomeA−Open →SchoolsC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 3.7 of 20; 3.8% of households have no car; 2.4% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →Jobs & income938 jobs based hereCOpen →HealthRochelle Community Hospital 9.4 miles awayB+Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0% conserved landC−Open →HistoryBOpen →Civic life1.9 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Ashton Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ashton Township, and how to reach them.
PowerCommonwealth Edison17.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterAshton water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet8 providers91% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Ashton Township’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Illinois you can register online until 16 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 28 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereLee County ClerkLee County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes61006, 6103161006 99% · 61031 1%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Ashton Township.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
With 1.7 jobs for every working resident, Ashton Township draws in 877 commuters
Most working residents leave Ashton Township for work: only 11% work in town. 12% of Ashton Township residents live below the poverty line, where Illinois’ towns sit at 8.4% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Ashton Township’s average trip to work is 24 minutes.
11%work in town
| Ashton Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $71,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 8.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Ashton Township11%
Rochelle13%
Ashton11%
Rockford6%
Dixon5%
28 mi
median commute distance
938
jobs based in Ashton Township
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 23% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SchoolsC−
Ashton Township’s schools rank behind 77% of Illinois districts
Its public schools are run by Ashton-Franklin Center CUSD 275. Its one school is below.
23%of IL districts it outscoresC−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashton-Franklin Center HSLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 216 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
Climate
Ashton Township has four seasons and pleasant summers
Ashton Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 13° and about 32 inches of snow falls in a winter.
32″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter17–32°
Spring38–59°
Summer60–82°
Fall41–62°
Oct 13
typical first frost
Apr 26
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB+
Ashton Township is healthier than 65% of U.S. towns
Ashton Township beats the Illinois average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 19% of adults binge drink in Ashton Township.
65%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
| Ashton Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 23% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 11% | 12% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
5 better25 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Ashton Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.3% | 15.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.4% | 7.6% |
Rochelle Community Hospital
9.4 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C+
Moderate risk in Ashton Township, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 56% of U.S. communities.
56risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesDrought
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.2%conserved
0.2%
conserved · 25 of 11,379 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Griffith Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 30 attractions →Starved Rock State Park and 10 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ashton Township. Close and well known come first.
40 mi State parkStarved Rock State Park
13 mi National Historic SiteRonald Reagan Boyhood Home National Historic Site
29 mi Stadium & arenaBMO Center
25 mi TheatreEgyptian Theatre, DeKalb
31 mi GardenAnderson Japanese Gardens
13 mi MuseumJohn Deere House and ShopSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Starved Rock State Park: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home National Historic Site: Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois, CC BY-SA 2.0 · BMO Center: SimLibrarian, CC0 · Egyptian Theatre, DeKalb: Andy McMurray, CC BY 2.5 · Anderson Japanese Gardens: M. Readey, CC BY-SA 3.0 · John Deere House and Shop: IvoShandor, CC BY 2.5
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Ashton Township
18pages on Ashton Township
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Ashton Township; the nearest are
Kishwaukee CollegeCommunity college · Public · Malta18.4 mi$4,560 in-state tuitionNorthern Illinois UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Dekalb24.1 mi$13,248 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Ashton Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
A job hub
Every workday, about 877 people come to Ashton Township for work
Where Ashton Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
938jobs based in Ashton Township
11%of working residents work in town
28 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Ashton Township
Village in Illinois, United States
Ashton is a village in Lee County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, Ashton had a population of 967.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 823 ft
- ZIP code
- 61006
Questions about Ashton Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ashton Township, IL expensive?
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 A−.