Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Braidwood gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $287K for a typical one, or 3.2 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income. It grades A overall, 129th of 767 graded towns in Illinois. On the plus side, it reports less crime per resident than 80% of U.S. towns. Only 58 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns score higher on hazard risk. Braidwood's schools outperform 79% of the state's. Old Smokey City Park, at 21 acres with 1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Braidwood beats most towns.
Where Braidwood’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 Braidwood is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 5,524 in 1880, a low of 1,161 in 1930, 6,194 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 5 maps from 1892 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Braidwood, 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 Braidwood.
Braidwood trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Illinois (mostly inland flooding) and sends most of its workers to Joliet and beyond.
In the comparison, Braidwood comes against 3.7% in Illinois’ towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. 2.8 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Braidwood | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.6% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Old Smokey City Park | 1 mi | 21 |
| 2. Braidwood Dunes and Savanna Nature Preserve | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 4.3 per 1,000 residents, Braidwood’s property crime rate is below both Illinois’ towns (7.9) and U.S. towns (9.9).
| Braidwood | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.3 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.3 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 94% of Illinois towns, with expected losses of about $242 per resident a year; that rating is what its A for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Braidwood is 17 of 100. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Braidwood since 2019.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Braidwood has 736 jobs for its 3,103 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Braidwood for work: only 5% work in town. Braidwood’s average trip to work is 29 minutes. The top destinations are Joliet (11%), Chicago (9%) and Wilmington (4%).
| Braidwood | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.3% | 8.4% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.3% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Braidwood has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 16° and about 18 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Braidwood beats the Illinois average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 20% of Braidwood adults binge drink.
| Braidwood | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 36% |
| What stands out | Braidwood | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.6% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.6% | 15.9% |
| More smokers | 15.1% | 12.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Homes are within reach (about $287K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 27 miles.
87% of households own their home in Braidwood. The typical Braidwood home is worth about $287,000, up 4.3% in a year, close to the Illinois typical home.
| Braidwood | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 87% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,044 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Braidwood. Close and well known come first.
40 mi State parkStarved Rock State Park
10 mi National forestMidewin National Tallgrass Prairie
39 mi MuseumMorton Arboretum
34 mi LandmarkSite A / Plot M Disposal Site
35 mi MuseumNational Shrine of St ThereseStarved Rock State Park: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie: Alanscottwalker, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Morton Arboretum: Bruce Marlin, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Site A / Plot M Disposal Site: Eric Schmuttenmaer, CC BY-SA 2.0 · National Shrine of St Therese: Friendsoftherese, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Braidwood; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Braidwood residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
City in Illinois, United States
Braidwood is a city in Will and Grundy counties, Illinois, United States, approximately 53 miles (85 km) southwest of Chicago and 18 miles (29 km) south of Joliet. As of the 2020 census, Braidwood had a population of 6,194. The Braidwood Nuclear Generating Station, a nuclear power plant owned by Exelon Corporation, is also located in the area (although the plant's address is actually in the nearby village of Braceville). The station is one of the major employers in the area and provides a significant portion of the electricity used in the Chicago area. The plant has been the subject of controversy concerning a series of leaks since 2007.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Braidwood.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braidwood | #129 | A | B+ | A− | A− | B− |
| Diamond | #76 | A | B− | A+ | A | B |
| Braceville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coal City | #35 | A+ | B+ | A− | A | B+ |
| Reed Township | #217 | A− | B+ | — | A− | B− |
Reed Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Braceville isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Braidwood with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Braidwood grades A overall, better than 90% of U.S. towns and #129 of 767 in Illinois. It grades B− for health, A− for safety and A− for schools.
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 B+.
