Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,777, settled in 1835.
Byron is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 39th among Illinois's 767 graded towns. Crime is low: it reports less per resident than 95% of U.S. towns, its schools rank ahead of 83% of Illinois towns, and it has 30 miles of trail and 31% conserved land. The exception is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 79% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. 31% of the land in Byron is conserved, against 3.6% in Illinois’ towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Byron is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 85% of U.S. towns. Only 2 of the 357 Illinois towns we compare have a lower property crime rate than Byron.
Where Byron beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Byron is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 698 in 1890, 3,784 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 2000 and 2 maps from 1922 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Byron, 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 Byron.
Byron keeps more of its land conserved than most of Illinois and sees little violent crime.
Its 917 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 99% of Illinois towns.
Byron’s trail density is 6.5 miles per square mile, where Illinois’ towns sit at 0.3 and U.S. towns at 0.4. More trails than any other town in Illinois.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Riverside Park | 0.4 mi | 8 |
| 2. Sunshine Park | 0.3 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.5 per 1,000 residents.
Byron’s violent crime rate is 0.5 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Since 1979, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Byron.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Byron beats the Illinois average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 20% of Byron adults binge drink.
| Byron | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.9% | 11% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 23% | 25% |
| What stands out | Byron | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11% | 15.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.9% | 9.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.8% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Byron has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 13° and about 32 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Byron for work: only 12% work in town. The top destinations are Rockford (24%), Oregon (4%) and Rockvale Township (4%). Half commute less than 15 miles.
| Byron | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Children under 18 are 27% of residents (22% statewide). The median age in Byron is 36.7 years. 32% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 38% across Illinois.
| Byron | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 27% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 36.7 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 32% | 29% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.4 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Byron | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.1% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.8% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.4% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.9% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.5% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.2% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.6% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.7% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.8% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.1% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.4% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.1% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.9% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.7% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.8% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,800, single groups can be off by several points
The typical Byron home is worth about $286,000, up 8.5% in a year, close to the Illinois typical home.
| Byron | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $929 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 75% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Byron. Close and well known come first.
38 mi MuseumIllinois Railway Museum
13 mi Stadium & arenaBMO Center
23 mi National Historic SiteRonald Reagan Boyhood Home National Historic Site
16 mi GardenAnderson Japanese Gardens
29 mi TheatreEgyptian Theatre, DeKalb
30 mi MuseumEllwood HouseIllinois Railway Museum: The original uploader was Slambo at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 · BMO Center: SimLibrarian, CC0 · Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home National Historic Site: Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Anderson Japanese Gardens: M. Readey, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Egyptian Theatre, DeKalb: Andy McMurray, CC BY 2.5 · Ellwood House: Paul R. Burley, CC0
None within 15 miles of Byron; the nearest are
About 8 of every 100 Byron residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
5 notable people were born in Byron.
City in Illinois, United States
Byron is a city in Ogle County, Illinois, United States, probably best known as the location of the Byron Nuclear Generating Station, one of the last nuclear power plants commissioned in the United States. Byron is located in Byron Township, along the Rock River. As of the 2020 census, Byron had a population of 3,784. The town bills itself as the "Gateway to the Rock River Valley".
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Byron grades A+ overall, better than 97% of U.S. towns and #39 of 767 in Illinois. It grades B+ for health, A+ for safety and A− for schools, and has the most trail per square mile in the state. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
5 notable people were born here, including Albert Spalding and Francis Kosier Newcomer. Its 30 miles of trails, 6.5 per square mile, are the densest network of any Illinois town.
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