Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
2.5 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Illinois town.
Clinton gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $157K, 2.2 years of the county’s $72K median household income. It grades C overall, 570th among Illinois's 767 graded towns. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 78% of U.S. towns. 30% of working residents work locally in Clinton, against 8.3% in Illinois’ towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Only 24 of Illinois’ 1,240 towns score higher on civic life. Clinton has 2 places on the National Register.
Where Clinton beats most towns.
C. H. Moore HouseEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Clinton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 367 in 1850, 7,004 in 2020. The archive holds 20 old photos and papers going back to 1869 and 3 maps from 1953 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Clinton, 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 Clinton.
Clinton trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, trades workers with Decatur and other neighbors and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more.
Homes are within reach (about $157K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 22 miles. The median property tax bill is $1,797, against $5,298 across Illinois, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Typical home values rose 8.8% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Clinton is $934 a month.
| Clinton | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 67% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $934 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Reported crimes fell from 191 to 106 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Clinton’s violent crime rate is 3.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Clinton | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.8 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.7 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Clinton beats the Illinois average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 17% of Clinton adults smoke cigarettes.
| Clinton | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 19% |
| What stands out | Clinton | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.5% | 10.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.2% | 6.3% |
| More smokers | 17.1% | 12.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Clinton has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 18° and about 19 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Clinton has about as many jobs (2,462) as working residents, but only 754 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 19 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
About one in 3 of Clinton’s working residents works in town. 15% of residents live below the poverty line in Clinton. Jobs based in Clinton fell to 2,462 in 2023, 138 fewer than in 2013.
| Clinton | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 8.5% | 11% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 56% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 42 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Clinton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Clinton | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.2% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kiwanis Park | 0.1 mi | 14 |
| 2. C.H. Moore Homestead | — | 11 |
| 3. Woodward Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Clinton; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Clinton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
2 places in Clinton on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Clinton.
City in Illinois, United States
Clinton is the largest city in and the county seat of DeWitt County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,898 at the 2023 census. The city and the county are named for DeWitt Clinton, governor of New York, 1817–1823. Clinton Nuclear Generating Station is located six miles away on Clinton Lake.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Clinton grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #570 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C for health, C for safety and C for schools.
6 notable people were born here, including Charles Christopher Adams and Gene Vance.
