Untitled photo, 2012
Clifton’s story
169 years in pictures
Census counts: 474 in 1880, 1,352 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 2 maps from 1944 on.
- 1857Clifton is settled
Photo: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0
Population
1,298
2025 Census estimate · −4% since 2020
Typical home
$240K
+8.7% in a year
Household income
$92K
median
Median age
35.8
years
Jobs based here
236
A commuter town
Is Clifton a good place to live?
Clifton’s best subject grade is a B+ for health; its weakest is a C− for hazard risk. Clifton’s average trip to work is 35 minutes, above both the Illinois town median (26 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). No town among the 358 in Illinois we compare has a lower property crime rate than Clifton. On civic life, just 119 of Illinois’ 1,240 towns do worse. Clifton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
WeakestC−Hazard risk
Small town
1,298 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Clifton grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Clifton is from typical.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC−Open →HealthPresence St. Marys Hospital 13.3 miles awayB+Open →SchoolsBeat 59% of Illinois districts on tests and graduationBOpen →Cost of livingBOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 9.1 of 20; 4.6% of households have no car; 0.3% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →Jobs & income$92K median household incomeB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksC+Open →History1 notable person born hereC+Open →Civic life1.1 library visits per resident; 2.2 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsDOpen →
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 35.8; 26% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Clifton: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Clifton, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterClifton water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet8 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpTuesdayTrash dayTown site
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 hereIroquois County ClerkIroquois County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code6092760927 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 Clifton.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
With 0.4 jobs for every working resident, most of Clifton’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Clifton for work: only 6% work in town. Since 2013, Clifton has lost 104 jobs, to 236 in 2023. 12% of residents live below the poverty line in Clifton, against 8.4% in Illinois’ towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns.
6%work in town
| Clifton | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 7.7% | 11% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $92,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.2% | 8.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Clifton6%
Kankakee17%
Bradley7%
Bourbonnais5%
Chicago3%
17 mi
median commute distance
236
jobs based in Clifton
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 48% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
High risk in Clifton, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 73% of U.S. communities.
73risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthB+
Clifton ranks healthier than 70% of the country’s towns
Clifton beats the Illinois average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 19% of Clifton adults binge drink.
70%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
| Clifton | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 23% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 19% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
5 better26 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Clifton | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.5% | 15.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.6% | 9.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.1% | 7.6% |
Presence St. Marys Hospital
13.3 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Clifton
Clifton has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 17° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
21″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter20–36°
Spring40–62°
Summer61–83°
Fall43–64°
Oct 24
typical first frost
Apr 19
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade B
A typical Clifton home is worth about $240K
The typical Clifton home is worth about $240,000, up 8.7% in a year, 19% below the Illinois typical home. Clifton’s median rent is $844 a month.
$240KZillow home value
| Clifton | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $844 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 75% | 73% |
Typical home value
Clifton$240K
Illinois$296K
+8.7%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Safety
Crime reported in Clifton
Clifton's reported crime rate is well below Illinois's. The violent crime rate in Clifton is 0 per 1,000 residents.
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Clifton0
Illinois2.6
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Clifton0
Illinois15.6
U.S.15.5
0
violent crimes reported in 2025
0
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Clifton
19pages on Clifton
The big questions
SchoolsBBeat 59% of IL districtsSafety0 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthB+Better than IL on 5 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingB$240K typical home · up 8.7% in a yearWork & commuteB−$92K median household income · 236 jobs hereNatural hazardsC−FEMA risk higher than 73% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Clifton
About 4 of every 100 Clifton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
A commuter town
94% of working residents leave Clifton for work
Where Clifton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
236jobs based in Clifton
6%of working residents work in town
17 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Clifton
Village in Illinois, United States
Clifton is a village in Chebanse Township, Iroquois County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,352 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 669 ft
- ZIP code
- 60927
Questions about Clifton
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Clifton, IL expensive?
That is 3.6 years of the area's median household income ($66,255 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.