BarstowIL
A town of 34, settled in 1878.
Is Barstow a good place to live?
Barstow has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
34 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Barstow: who provides what
Barstow is unincorporated, so Rock Island County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Barstow.
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Barstow
Summer afternoons peak near 85° in July, and January nights bottom out around 15°; snowfall runs to about 36 inches a winter. Summers in Barstow are warm, and winters cold, snowy.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Barstow is
40% of adults have high blood pressure in Barstow. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Barstow is ahead of Illinois on 2 and behind on 11. In Barstow, 15% of adults have diabetes, above both Illinois’ towns (11%) and U.S. towns (12%).
| Barstow | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 11% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 35% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Barstow | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 66.9% | 60.2% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.8% | 75.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.3% | 10.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The biggest natural risk in Barstow is inland flooding, at a moderate overall level
Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 60% of U.S. communities. FEMA puts 34% of Barstow’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 27% to cold waves. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Barstow after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2013.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Rock Island Arsenal and 11 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Barstow. Close and well known come first.
10 mi Ancient siteRock Island Arsenal
12 mi MuseumBlack Hawk State Historic Site
11 mi MuseumFigge Art Museum77K visitors a year6 mi Zoo & aquariumNiabi Zoo
13 mi MuseumPutnam Museum
12 mi GardenVander Veer Botanical ParkPhoto credits
Rock Island Arsenal: Robert A, Ryan, J. Ceronia, and Bruce A. Harms, Photographers, Public domain · Black Hawk State Historic Site: Bill Whittaker (talk). Original uploader was Billwhittaker at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Figge Art Museum: Ctjf83, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Putnam Museum: Ctjf83 of English Wikipedia (log), Public domain · Vander Veer Botanical Park: David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
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Everything we know about Barstow
Colleges nearby
7 within 15 miles of the center of Barstow
About 0 of every 100 Barstow residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
About Barstow
Census-designated place in Illinois, United States
Barstow is an unincorporated community in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, Barstow had a population of 89. Barstow is east of East Moline and Silvis. Barstow is located on a wye that connects track owned by the BNSF Railway, including the Barstow Subdivision. These tracks were previously owned by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q), and a station once existed within the wye. Barstow was to be the site of a planned hog plant and a Nascar race track, but both plans were shelved after heavy opposition to them.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Elevation
- 574 ft
- ZIP code
- 61236
Questions about Barstow
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Barstow, IL a good place to live?
Barstow has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.