Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Carlyle Township gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $168K for a typical one, or 2.1 years of the St. Louis metro’s $80K median household income. It grades B+ overall, 346th among Illinois's 767 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 73% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On the plus side, it has 7 miles of trail. 17% of residents are under 18 in Carlyle Township, below both Illinois’ towns (22%) and U.S. towns (22%). The biggest park or preserve is Eldon Hazlet State Park, at 611 acres. Carlyle Township is more walkable than 70% of U.S. towns.
Where Carlyle Township beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Carlyle Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Its founding year, 1818, comes before those of 96% of the Illinois towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 289 in 1850, 3,253 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1988 and 3 maps from 1910 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Carlyle Township, 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 Carlyle Township.
7.3 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Carlyle Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.7% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Carlyle Parks and Recreation | 0.6 mi | 21 |
| 2. Eldon Hazlet State Park | 0.1 mi | 611 |
| 3. Clinton County Fair Grounds | — | 19 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Carlyle CUSD 1. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlyle Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 364 | B+ |
| Carlyle High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 281 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
Since 2015, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Carlyle Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Carlyle Township has chilly winters and warm summers. The July high in Carlyle Township is 88°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Carlyle Township has about as many jobs (1,660) as working residents, but only 263 people both live and work here.
Carlyle Township’s average trip to work is 22 minutes. The top destinations are Carlyle (16%), Breese (8%) and Centralia (5%). Half commute less than 19 miles.
| Carlyle Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.6% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $88,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Children under 18 are 16% of residents (22% statewide). 30% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 38% across Illinois.
| Carlyle Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 42.5 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 19% | 18% |
55% women, 45% men
About 83 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.6 points). Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Carlyle Township | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.9% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.5% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.5% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.1% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.4% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.8% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.4% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.5% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.5% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.9% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 16% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 18.2% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.5% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.9% | 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
Carlyle Township beats the Illinois average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 40% of adults have obesity in Carlyle Township.
| Carlyle Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 33% | 33% |
| What stands out | Carlyle Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.8% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.6% | 13.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.1% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Carlyle Township
About 5 of every 100 Carlyle Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
City in Illinois, United States
Carlyle is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,253 at the 2020 census. Carlyle is located approximately 50 miles (80 km) east of St. Louis, Missouri, and is home to Illinois' largest man-made lake, Carlyle Lake, and to the General Dean Suspension Bridge, a suspension bridge that is the only one of its kind in Illinois and crosses the Kaskaskia River.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Carlyle Township.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlyle Township | #346 | B+ | A− | — | C+ | B− |
| Lake Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Irishtown Township | — | — | A+ | — | C+ | B− |
| Wade Township | — | — | A | — | B | B |
| Clement Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Irishtown Township and Wade Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Carlyle Township, Irishtown Township and Wade Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Lake Township and Clement Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Carlyle Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Carlyle Township grades B+ overall, better than 68% of U.S. towns and #346 of 767 in Illinois. It grades B− for health and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Not for the area. Louis, MO-IL metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.