Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Atlanta’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living and civic life and an A− for history; its weakest is a C for walkability. 17% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Atlanta, where Illinois’ towns sit at 29% and U.S. towns at 29%. Atlanta's schools outperform 68% of the state's. Atlanta has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Atlanta Public Library and Downey Building. Atlanta has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Atlanta beats most towns.
Atlanta Public LibraryWhere Atlanta’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 Atlanta is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2007.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Atlanta, 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 Atlanta.
The typical Atlanta home is worth about $167,000, up 3.3% in a year, 44% below the Illinois typical home. At $894 a month, Atlanta’s median rent is against $1,129 a month in Illinois’ towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. 84% of households own their home in Atlanta.
| Atlanta | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 84% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $894 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Atlanta for work: only 6% work in town. Since 2013, Atlanta has lost 52 jobs, to 311 in 2023. The top destinations are Lincoln (17%), Springfield (12%) and Bloomington (4%).
| Atlanta | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 5.8% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.1% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Atlanta has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 18° and about 19 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Atlanta beats the Illinois average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 19% of Atlanta adults binge drink.
| Atlanta | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 23% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Atlanta | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.7% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.4% | 15.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.2% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 56% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Atlanta; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Atlanta residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
3 places in Atlanta on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Atlanta.
City in Illinois, United States
Atlanta (formerly Xenia) is a city in Logan County, Illinois, United States. It is located along Route 66, and had a population of 1,669 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
89% more nonprofits per person than the typical Illinois town.
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.
5 notable people were born here, including Thomas W. Ewing and Eleanor Sophia Smith.
