Carbon Cliff 1915, 2012
Carbon Cliff’s story
168 years in pictures
Census counts: 170 in 1880, 1,846 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 4 maps from 1949 on.
- 1858Carbon Cliff is settled
Population
1,810
2025 Census estimate · −2% since 2020
Median home value
$135K
Census ACS
Household income
$56K
median
Median age
36.7
years
Jobs based here
839
Balanced
Is Carbon Cliff a good place to live?
The best of Carbon Cliff’s subject grades is a B+ for walkability; the weakest is a C− for schools. 5.8% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Carbon Cliff, below both the Illinois town median (29%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Carbon Cliff has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
A shrinking town
Carbon Cliff has shrunk 15% since 2010
2,134 counted in 2010 and 1,846 in 2020; an estimated 1,810 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Carbon Cliff grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Carbon Cliff is from typical.
SchoolsBehind 84% of Illinois districts on tests and graduationC−Open →Jobs & income$56K median household incomeCOpen →HealthGenesis Medical Center-Illini 1.1 miles awayCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.4 of 20; 6.1% of households have no car; 13.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB+Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 40% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listBOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $135K, 1.9 years of the Davenport metro’s $73K median household incomeB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Carbon Cliff: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Carbon Cliff, and how to reach them.
PowerMidAmerican Energy10.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCarbon Cliff water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpTuesdayTown’s haulerTown site
SchoolsUnited Township High School District 30Carbon Cliff-Barstow School District 36Silvis School District 343 districts serve Carbon Cliff; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
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 hereRock Island County ClerkRock Island County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes61239, 61244, 6128261239 55% · 61244 29% · 61282 16%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 Carbon Cliff.
HealthC
Residents of Carbon Cliff are less healthy than 69% of U.S. towns
Carbon Cliff beats the Illinois average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 19% of Carbon Cliff adults report frequent mental distress, against 17% in Illinois’ towns and 17% across U.S. towns. 41% of Carbon Cliff adults have obesity.
31%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Carbon Cliff | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 33% | 33% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
0 better19 too close to call13 worse
| What stands out | Carbon Cliff | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.5% | 10.3% |
| More smokers | 16.5% | 12.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.4% | 6.3% |
Genesis Medical Center-Illini
1.1 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
In Carbon Cliff, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Carbon Cliff has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 15° and about 36 inches of snow falls in a winter.
36″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter18–34°
Spring40–61°
Summer63–83°
Fall43–63°
Oct 25
typical first frost
Apr 16
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Most working residents commute out of Carbon Cliff
Most working residents leave Carbon Cliff for work: only 2% work in town. 19% of residents live below the poverty line in Carbon Cliff. Jobs based in Carbon Cliff fell to 839 in 2023, 364 fewer than in 2013.
2%work in town
| Carbon Cliff | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.2% | 8.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Carbon Cliff2%
Moline14%
East Moline13%
Davenport13%
Rock Island6%
9 mi
median commute distance
839
jobs based in Carbon Cliff
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 65% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Carbon Cliff
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 66 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Carbon Cliff.
40risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
66
paid flood claims since 1979
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.5%conserved
0.5%
conserved · 7 of 1,336 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Village Park | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HousingCost of living grade B−
The median home in Carbon Cliff sells for about $244K
$244Kmedian sale price
2
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Nearby attractions
All 18 attractions →Rock Island Arsenal and 12 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Carbon Cliff. Close and well known come first.
8 mi Ancient siteRock Island Arsenal
10 mi MuseumBlack Hawk State Historic Site
10 mi MuseumFigge Art Museum77K visitors a year4 mi Zoo & aquariumNiabi Zoo
11 mi MuseumPutnam Museum
10 mi GardenVander Veer Botanical ParkSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo 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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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Carbon Cliff
19pages on Carbon Cliff
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
7 within 15 miles of the center of Carbon Cliff
Black Hawk CollegeCommunity college · Public · Moline3.2 mi$4,920 in-state tuitionAugustana CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Rock Island8.2 mi$51,598 tuitionOrion Technical CollegeUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Davenport, IA8.3 mi$15,600 tuition
About 5 of every 100 Carbon Cliff residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
About Carbon Cliff
Village in Illinois, United States
Carbon Cliff is a village in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,846 at the 2020 census, down from 2,134 at the 2010 census. It lies in the south part of Hampton Township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1906
- Area
- 2.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 604 ft
- ZIP code
- 61239
Carbon Cliff’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Carbon Cliff.
SilvisCarbon Cliff
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon Cliff | — | — | B− | — | C− | C |
| Silvis | #696 | D | B | D | D | C |
Carbon Cliff has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Carbon Cliff reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Carbon Cliff with a neighbor →
Questions about Carbon Cliff
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Carbon Cliff, IL expensive?
The typical home is worth about $135,000, 55% below the Illinois typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.