19960615 25 BNSF, 1996
Big Rock Township’s story
176 years in pictures
The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1996 and 3 maps from 1937 on.
- 1850Big Rock Township is settled
Big Rock TownshipIL
A town of 1,739, settled in 1850. 27% more nonprofits per person than the typical Illinois town.
4 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Jauerback · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,739
2025 Census estimate · −2.2% since 2020
Median home value
$336K
Census ACS
Household income
$158K
median
Median age
49.3
years
Jobs based here
782
Balanced
Is Big Rock Township a good place to live?
The best of Big Rock Township’s subject grades are an A for incomes and an A− for health and civic life; the weakest is a D for walkability. Big Rock Township’s median household income is $158,000, where Illinois’ towns sit at $83,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000. On walkability, just 125 of Illinois’ 1,284 towns do worse. The biggest place to walk is Big Rock Forest Preserve, 850 acres with 9.5 miles of trail. Big Rock Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Big Rock Township stand out
Where Big Rock Township beats most towns.
How Big Rock Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Big Rock Township is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.3 of 20; 0.7% of households have no car; 0.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Jobs & incomeAOpen →HealthValley West Community Hospital 9.9 miles awayA−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 27% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB+Open →Cost of livingTypical home $336K, 3.7 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household incomeCOpen →SchoolsBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors9% conserved landA−Open →HistoryBOpen →Civic life4.3 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 167 attractions →Allstate Arena and 34 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Big Rock Township. Close and well known come first.
37 mi Stadium & arenaAllstate Arena
38 mi Stadium & arenaSeatGeek Stadium
39 mi MuseumMcDonald's #1 Store Museum
32 mi MuseumIllinois Railway Museum
39 mi State parkStarved Rock State Park32 mi Park & preserveMazon CreekSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Allstate Arena: Nkon21, CC BY-SA 4.0 · SeatGeek Stadium: Khvmty, CC BY-SA 3.0 · McDonald's #1 Store Museum: Bruce Marlin, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Illinois Railway Museum: The original uploader was Slambo at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 · Starved Rock State Park: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
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Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Big Rock Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Big Rock Township, and how to reach them.
PowerCommonwealth Edison17.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet9 providers80% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Big Rock 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 hereKane County ClerkKane County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes60511, 60554, 6011960511 95% · 60554 4% · 60119 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 Big Rock Township.
HealthA−
On CDC estimates, Big Rock Township is healthier than 83% of U.S. towns
Big Rock Township beats the Illinois average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 30% of Big Rock Township adults feel lonely, below both Illinois’ towns (33%) and U.S. towns (33%). 15% of Big Rock Township adults report frequent mental distress.
83%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Big Rock Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 23% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
11 better19 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Big Rock Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.7% | 15.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.9% | 9.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 7.6% |
Valley West Community Hospital
9.9 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsB
On state tests, Big Rock Township’s schools beat 57% of Illinois districts
Its public schools are run by Hinckley Big Rock CUSD 429. Its one school is below.
57%of IL districts it outscoresBSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hinckley-Big Rock Middle SchLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 216 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Low risk in Big Rock Township, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 73% of U.S. communities.
27risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Big Rock Township has four seasons and pleasant summers
Big Rock Township has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 15° and about 39 inches of snow falls in a winter.
39″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter18–34°
Spring38–60°
Summer61–82°
Fall42–62°
Oct 13
typical first frost
Apr 28
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A
Most working residents commute out of Big Rock Township
Most working residents leave Big Rock Township for work: only 3% work in town. The average trip to work in Big Rock Township is 19 minutes. Since 2013, Big Rock Township has lost 1,482 jobs, to 782 in 2023.
3%work in town
| Big Rock Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.2% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Big Rock Township3%
Chicago8%
St. Charles5%
Naperville5%
Batavia5%
20 mi
median commute distance
782
jobs based in Big Rock Township
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 14% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
8.8%conserved
| Big Rock Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8.8% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
8.8%
conserved · 1,971 of 22,361 acres
17 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Big Rock Forest Preserve | 9.5 mi | 850 |
| 2. Big Rock Community Park | — | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Big Rock Township
18pages on Big Rock Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Big Rock Township
Waubonsee Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Sugar Grove4.6 mi$3,504 in-state tuitionAurora UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Aurora9.7 mi$29,170 tuition
About 3 of every 100 Big Rock Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
About Big Rock Township
Village in Illinois, United States
Big Rock is a village in Kane County, Illinois, United States. It is located approximately 50 miles (80 km) due west of Chicago. It is between the villages of Hinckley and Sugar Grove. The village was incorporated on July 26, 2001. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 1,104.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 2001
- Area
- 4.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 709 ft
- ZIP code
- 60511
Big Rock Township’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Big Rock Township.
Kaneville TownshipLittle Rock TownshipSugar Grove TownshipSquaw Grove TownshipBig Rock Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Rock Township | — | — | C | — | B | A− |
| Kaneville Township | — | — | C− | — | B+ | A |
| Little Rock Township | #569 | C | C− | — | B− | B+ |
| Sugar Grove Township | #380 | B | D | — | B+ | A− |
| Squaw Grove Township | #565 | C | C− | — | B | B |
Big Rock Township and Kaneville Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Big Rock Township, Kaneville Township, Little Rock Township, Sugar Grove Township and Squaw Grove Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Big Rock Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Big Rock Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Big Rock Township, IL a good place to live?
27% more nonprofits per person than the typical Illinois town.
Is Big Rock Township, IL expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.