Cerro Gordo jack, 2019
Cerro Gordo’s story
179 years in pictures
Census counts: 565 in 1880, 1,316 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2019 and 3 maps from 1955 on.
- 1847Cerro Gordo is settled
Cerro GordoIL
55% more nonprofits per person than the typical Illinois town.
Photo: User:Visviva · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,312
2025 Census estimate · −1% since 2020
Typical home
$162K
−4.9% in a year
Household income
$78K
median
Median age
35.9
years
Jobs based here
173
A commuter town
Is Cerro Gordo a good place to live?
The best of Cerro Gordo’s subject grades are an A for cost of living and civic life; the weakest is a C for walkability. 31% of residents are under 18 in Cerro Gordo, above both Illinois’ towns (22%) and U.S. towns (22%). On the outdoors, just 7 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do worse. Cerro Gordo has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Cerro Gordo stand out
Where Cerro Gordo beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Cerro Gordo5.2
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical IL town3.4
Civic lifeA
55% more nonprofits per person
than the typical Illinois town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
Typical home value
Cerro Gordo$162K
Illinois$296K
Cost of livingA
2.5 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 91% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
0historic places
History
Settled in 1847
A long history
A history going back 179 years.
Small town
1,312 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Cerro Gordo grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Cerro Gordo is from typical.
Cost of livingAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.1 of 20; 1.7% of households have no car; 1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →HealthSt. Marys Hospital 11.4 miles awayB+Open →SchoolsBeat 63% of Illinois districts on tests and graduationBOpen →Jobs & income$78K median household incomeB−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 49% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksD−Open →History2 notable people born hereB+Open →Civic life5.2 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 35.9; 19% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Cerro Gordo: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cerro Gordo, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCerro Gordo water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Cerro Gordo’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 herePiatt County ClerkPiatt County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code6181861818 100%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 Cerro Gordo.
HousingCost of living grade A
A typical Cerro Gordo home is worth about $162K
The typical Cerro Gordo home is worth about $162,000, down 4.9% in a year, 45% below the Illinois typical home. At $846 a month, Cerro Gordo’s median rent is below both the Illinois town median ($1,129 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
$162KZillow home value
| Cerro Gordo | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $846 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 79% | 75% | 73% |
Typical home value
Cerro Gordo$162K
Illinois$296K
−4.9%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Most of Cerro Gordo’s workers commute out: the town has 0.3 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Cerro Gordo for work: only 4% work in town. Since 2013, Cerro Gordo has added 37 jobs, to 173 in 2023. Cerro Gordo’s average trip to work is 22 minutes.
4%work in town
| Cerro Gordo | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.7% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Cerro Gordo4%
Decatur25%
Champaign9%
Monticello7%
Springfield4%
22 mi
median commute distance
173
jobs based in Cerro Gordo
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 28% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Cerro Gordo, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Cerro Gordo has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 19° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
21″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter22–38°
Spring42–63°
Summer63–84°
Fall44–65°
Oct 22
typical first frost
Apr 16
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB+
Residents of Cerro Gordo are healthier than 65% of U.S. towns
Cerro Gordo beats the Illinois average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 19% of Cerro Gordo adults binge drink.
65%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
| Cerro Gordo | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 6.4% | 7.9% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 18% | 19% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
5 better26 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Cerro Gordo | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.4% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.4% | 15.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.3% | 7.6% |
St. Marys Hospital
11.4 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B−
Cerro Gordo faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 51% of U.S. communities.
49risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingDroughtCold waves
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Nearby attractions
All 30 attractions →Gies Memorial Stadium and 12 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cerro Gordo. Close and well known come first.
30 mi Stadium & arenaGies Memorial Stadium
31 mi LandmarkAmerican Football House
9 mi GardenRobert Allerton Park
15 mi MuseumMonticello Railway Museum10 mi Zoo & aquariumScovill Zoo
31 mi TheatreKrannert Center for the Performing ArtsSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Gies Memorial Stadium: T.J. Blakeman, CC BY-SA 4.0 · American Football House: BanjoZebra, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Robert Allerton Park: D. Finnigan, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Monticello Railway Museum: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Krannert Center for the Performing Arts: Aries Liang, Public domain
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Cerro Gordo
18pages on Cerro Gordo
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Cerro Gordo
Richland Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Decatur8.5 mi$4,680 in-state tuitionMillikin UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Decatur13.2 mi$26,892 tuition
About 3 of every 100 Cerro Gordo residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Cerro Gordo for work
Where Cerro Gordo’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
173jobs based in Cerro Gordo
4%of working residents work in town
22 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Cerro Gordo
Village in Illinois, United States
Cerro Gordo, nicknamed Fat Hill, is a town in Piatt County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,316 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 738 ft
- ZIP code
- 61818
Questions about Cerro Gordo
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Cerro Gordo, IL a good place to live?
55% more nonprofits per person than the typical Illinois town.
Is Cerro Gordo, IL expensive?
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 A.
What is Cerro Gordo, IL known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Charles Edward Taylor and Harry Warner Frantz.