Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 14,579, settled in 1841.
Few places in the country grade higher. Chatham earns an A, 92nd among Illinois's 767 graded towns. It is healthier than 92% of U.S. towns, the median household earns $107K, and its schools rank ahead of 75% of Illinois towns. Its lowest mark, a C+, is in cost of living. 32% of residents are under 18 in Chatham, against 22% in Illinois’ towns and 22% across U.S. towns. Sugar Creek Covered Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Chatham beats most towns.
11,500 counted in 2010 and 14,377 in 2020; an estimated 14,579 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Chatham is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 278 in 1860, 14,377 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2019 and 4 maps from 1922 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Chatham. Close and well known come first.
Big draw11 mi LandmarkLincoln Tomb
9 mi National Historic SiteLincoln Home National Historic Site124K visitors a year9 mi National MonumentSpringfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument
9 mi MuseumOld State Capitol State Historic Site
22 mi MuseumLincoln's New Salem
9 mi MuseumIllinois State MuseumLincoln Tomb: David Jones, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Lincoln Home National Historic Site: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Old State Capitol State Historic Site: Shadow2700 at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Lincoln's New Salem: Unknown, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Illinois State Museum: Mike Linksvayer from Oakland, California, CC0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Chatham, 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 Chatham.
Chatham has less food insecurity than most of Illinois and sends most of its workers to Springfield and beyond.
Its widest gap with Illinois is food insecurity: 7.8% of its 10,356 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.9% statewide. Its A for health tops all 4 graded neighbors; Ball Township (B+) comes closest.
8.3% of Chatham adults have diabetes. Chatham beats the Illinois average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 30% of Chatham adults have high blood pressure.
| Chatham | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 23% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 13% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 18% | 19% |
| What stands out | Chatham | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.8% | 15.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5% | 9.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Chatham has 1,451 jobs for its 6,751 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Chatham for work: only 4% work in town. 3.3% of residents live below the poverty line in Chatham. The top destinations are Springfield (60%), Chicago (2%) and Decatur (2%).
| Chatham | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3.3% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $107,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 15% | 11% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Chatham’s property crime rate is 5.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Chatham | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.2 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.9 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Chatham has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 20° and about 22 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 55% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 25 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Chatham.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Chatham home is worth about $308,000, up 6.7% in a year, close to the Illinois typical home.
| Chatham | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 81% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,256 a month | $1,128 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0.0 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Chatham Community Park, at 72 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Chatham Community Park | — | 72 |
| 2. Spartan Sports Park | — | 24 |
| 3. West Side Park | — | 14 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
3 within 15 miles of the center of Chatham
About 3 of every 100 Chatham residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
Where Chatham’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Village in Illinois, United States
Chatham is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. It is located 2.8 miles (4.5 km) south of Springfield. The population was 11,500 as of the 2010 census and 14,377 as of 2020. The village lies along the original alignment of historic U.S. Route 66 (Illinois Route 4). Chatham is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Chatham.
It grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Ball Township (A) comes closest. Woodside Township next door grades lower for schools (C− to Chatham’s A−) and higher for cost of living (B+ to C+).
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chatham | #92 | A | C+ | B+ | A− | A |
| Springfield | #702 | D | B | D− | C− | C+ |
| Capital Township | #580 | C | B | — | C− | B− |
| Ball Township | #145 | A | B− | — | A− | B+ |
| Chatham Township | #167 | A | B− | — | B+ | A− |
| Woodside Township | #372 | B | B+ | — | C− | B+ |
Capital Township, Ball Township, Chatham Township and Woodside Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Chatham with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Chatham grades A overall, better than 93% of U.S. towns and #92 of 767 in Illinois. It grades A for health, B+ for safety and A− for schools.
That is 4.1 years of the area's median household income ($75,895 across the Springfield, 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 C+.
2 notable people were born here, including Daniel Helm and Nick Maton.
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