Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,831, incorporated in 1870.
Coal City is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 35th among Illinois's 767 graded towns. Its schools outperform 93% of the state's and crime is low: it reports less per resident than 83% of U.S. towns. Its lowest mark, a B, is in incomes. 4.4% of residents live below the poverty line in Coal City, against 8.4% in Illinois’ towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns.
Where Coal City beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Coal City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,672 in 1890, a low of 1,637 in 1930, 5,705 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 6 maps from 1892 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Coal City, 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 Coal City.
Coal City pairs an A+ overall with homes cheaper than the Illinois norm and sees little violent crime.
Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
For Coal City, the property crime rate is 4.5 per 1,000 residents. The town’s rate of reported violence is 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Coal City | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.5 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 79% of U.S. communities. The national flood insurance program has paid 5 claims in Coal City since 1979. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Coal City after 4 declared disasters, most recently in 2013.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Coal City: 21% of adults binge drink. In Coal City, 10% of adults have diabetes, and 32% have high blood pressure.
| Coal City | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 35% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 77% | 78% | 79% |
| What stands out | Coal City | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.5% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.2% | 15.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
A winter brings about 25 inches of snow, with January nights at 16° and July afternoons at 85°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The top destinations are Joliet (8%), Chicago (8%) and Morris (7%). Just 10% of Coal City’s working residents have a job in town. For Coal City, the median household income is $73,000.
| Coal City | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $73,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 8.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Coal City grades A+ overall with a typical home of about $274K, below the Illinois typical value; only 48 of the 183 Illinois towns graded A− or better can say that. Homes are within reach (about $274K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 23 miles.
Homes sold in Coal City spent a median 58 days on the market. In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 4.5%. 63% of the homes sold in Coal City went for more than their asking price.
| Coal City | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 77% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,123 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The trail network density for Coal City comes to 0.1 miles per square mile. Across 5 parks and preserves: 0.6 miles of trail.
| Coal City | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.3% | 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. Lions Park | — | 9 |
| 2. Coal City High Park | — | 8 |
| 3. Coal City Elementary Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Coal City; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Coal City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
3 notable people were born in Coal City.
Village in Illinois, United States
Coal City is a village in Grundy and Will Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is considered a fringe town of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 5,705 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Coal City.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coal City | #35 | A+ | B+ | A− | A | B+ |
| Diamond | #76 | A | B− | A+ | A | B |
| Braidwood | #129 | A | B+ | A− | A− | B− |
| Carbon Hill | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Carbon Hill isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Coal City with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Coal City grades A+ overall, better than 97% of U.S. towns and #35 of 767 in Illinois. It grades B+ for health, A− for safety and A for schools.
Yes, by national standards. Coal City reports less crime per resident than 83% of U.S. towns, an A− Safety Grade: 2 violent and 26 property crimes in 2025.
Not for the area. That is 3 years of the area's median household income ($90,887 across the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN 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 B+.
Coal City was incorporated in 1870. 3 notable people were born here, including Greg Washburn and Fred DeStefano.