Barry Historic District · National Register of Historic Places
Barry’s story
187 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1921.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1839Barry is settled
BarryIL
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Population
1,247
2025 Census estimate · −4.2% since 2020
Typical home
$93K
+9.7% in a year
Household income
$76K
median
Median age
36.0
years
Jobs based here
307
A commuter town
Is Barry a good place to live?
The best of Barry’s subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and history; the weakest is a D for hazard risk. On hazard risk, just 29 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do worse. Only 7 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns score higher on history. Barry has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Barry stand out
Where Barry beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Barry Historic DistrictHistoryA+
Settled in 1839
1 place on the National Register
A history going back 187 years.
Typical home value
Barry$93K
Illinois$296K
Cost of livingA+
1.6 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 96% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
Worth knowing · Natural hazardsD
Inland flooding and cold waves at the top
FEMA National Risk Index.
Small town
1,247 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Barry grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Barry is from typical.
Cost of livingA+Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listDOpen →Jobs & income$76K median household incomeC−Open →HealthIllini Community Hospital 13.5 miles awayCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.1 of 20; 1.7% of households have no car; 0.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →SchoolsBeat 53% of Illinois districts on tests and graduationB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsC−Open →History1 place on the National Register; 4 notable people born hereA+Open →Civic life3.3 library visits per resident; 3.3 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 36.0; 17% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Barry: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Barry, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterBarry water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Barry’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 herePike County ClerkPike County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code6231262312 100%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 Barry.
HousingCost of living grade A+
Compared with most of Illinois and the rest of the country, the median rent in Barry is lower
Barry’s median rent is $644 a month, against $1,129 a month in Illinois’ towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. Typical home values rose 9.7% in the year to September 2026.
$93KZillow home value
| Barry | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $644 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 75% | 73% |
Typical home value
Barry$93K
Illinois$296K
+9.7%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Barry stands out in Illinois and nationally, with the FEMA risk score higher than most
Barry’s FEMA risk score is 87 of 100, above both the Illinois town median (50 of 100) and the median of U.S. towns (44 of 100).
87risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesDrought
5
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
With 0.5 jobs for every working resident, most of Barry’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Barry for work: only 12% work in town. 15% of Barry residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Barry has lost 98 jobs, to 307 in 2023.
12%work in town
| Barry | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $76,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Barry12%
Quincy15%
Springfield12%
Pittsfield6%
Hannibal6%
26 mi
median commute distance
307
jobs based in Barry
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 36% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthC
Residents of Barry are less healthy than 73% of U.S. towns
Barry beats the Illinois average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 16% of adults report frequent physical distress in Barry.
27%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Barry | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
0 better21 too close to call11 worse
| What stands out | Barry | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.2% | 10.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.9% | 6.3% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.2% | 5.9% |
Illini Community Hospital
13.5 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Barry
Barry has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 19° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
21″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter22–39°
Spring43–64°
Summer64–85°
Fall45–66°
Oct 15
typical first frost
Apr 18
typical last frost
+0.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsC−
Barry has set aside 0% of its land for conservation
0.1 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 913 acres
0.1 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Barry City Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 5 attractions →Mark Twain Cave and 3 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Barry. Close and well known come first.
16 mi CaveMark Twain Cave
4 mi National Historic SiteNew Philadelphia National Historic Site
17 mi MuseumMark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum
25 mi MuseumJohn Wood MansionSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Mark Twain Cave: Jonathunder, GFDL 1.2 · New Philadelphia National Historic Site: Nyttend, Public domain · Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum: Jonathunder, GFDL 1.2 · John Wood Mansion: Smallbones, Public domain
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Barry
19pages on Barry
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Barry; the nearest are
Hannibal-LaGrange UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Hannibal, MO18.8 mi$26,880 tuitionJohn Wood Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Quincy21.6 mi$5,700 in-state tuitionWestern Illinois UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Macomb56.4 mi$15,264 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Barry residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
A commuter town
88% of working residents leave Barry for work
Where Barry’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
307jobs based in Barry
12%of working residents work in town
26 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
Famous people from Barry
4 notable people were born in Barry.
About Barry
City in Illinois, United States
Barry is a city in Pike County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,303 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 732 ft
- ZIP code
- 62312
- Area code
- 217
Questions about Barry
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Barry, 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+.
What is Barry, IL known for?
4 notable people were born here, including Floyd Dell and Calvin Brainerd Cady.