Brunk Farmstead · National Register of Historic Places
Cotton Hill Township’s story
Cotton Hill Township in pictures
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →
Cotton Hill TownshipIL
A town of 974.
6 bordering townsMap →
Photo: User:Visviva · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
974
2025 Census estimate · −1.5% since 2020
Median home value
$283K
Census ACS
Household income
$95K
median
Median age
54.3
years
Jobs based here
34
A commuter town
Is Cotton Hill Township a good place to live?
Cotton Hill Township’s average trip to work is 56 minutes, above both Illinois’ towns (26 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Among 769 Illinois towns, just 7 have a higher median age than Cotton Hill Township. Brunk Farmstead is on the National Register of Historic Places. Cotton Hill Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
974 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
South Fork TownshipRochester TownshipSpringfieldCapital TownshipPawnee TownshipBuckhart TownshipCotton Hill Township
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Cotton Hill Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cotton Hill Township, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterEj Water-Sangchris4 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Cotton Hill Township’s trash rules yet
SchoolsBall-Chatham Community Unit School District 5Pawnee Community Unit School District 112 districts serve Cotton Hill Township; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
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 hereSangamon County ClerkSangamon County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes62563, 62558, 6271262563 66% · 62558 27% · 62712 7%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 Cotton Hill Township.
Work & commute
More than half of Cotton Hill Township’s working residents commute to Springfield
Most working residents leave Cotton Hill Township for work: only 0% work in town. 14% of residents live below the poverty line in Cotton Hill Township, above both the Illinois town median (8.4%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). The top destinations are Springfield (54%), Rochester (3%) and Riverton (2%).
0%work in town
Where working residents work
In Cotton Hill Township0%
Springfield54%
Rochester3%
Riverton2%
Peoria2%
11 mi
median commute distance
34
jobs based in Cotton Hill Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Cotton Hill Township, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Cotton Hill Township has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 20° and about 14 inches of snow falls in a winter.
14″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter23–39°
Spring43–64°
Summer64–85°
Fall44–66°
Oct 20
typical first frost
Apr 14
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Cotton Hill Township is
Cotton Hill Township beats the Illinois average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 19% of adults binge drink in Cotton Hill Township.
| Cotton Hill Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 23% | 25% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 35% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 19% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
7 better23 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Cotton Hill Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.1% | 15.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.4% | 7.6% |
St. Johns Hospital
11.5 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazards
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Cotton Hill Township
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 55% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Cotton Hill Township.
55risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
2
paid flood claims since 1979
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Nearby attractions
All 16 attractions →Lincoln Tomb and 11 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cotton Hill Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw13 mi LandmarkLincoln Tomb
11 mi National Historic SiteLincoln Home National Historic Site124K visitors a year11 mi National MonumentSpringfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument
11 mi MuseumOld State Capitol State Historic Site
27 mi MuseumLincoln's New Salem
5 mi Zoo & aquariumHenson Robinson ZooSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Lincoln 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 · Henson Robinson Zoo: Robert Lawton, CC BY-SA 2.5
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Cotton Hill Township
16pages on Cotton Hill Township
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Cotton Hill Township
Lincoln Land Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Springfield5.5 mi$3,744 in-state tuitionUniversity of Illinois SpringfieldUniversity or college · Public · Springfield6.2 mi$12,252 in-state tuitionSt. John's College-Department of NursingUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Springfield11.5 mi
About 3 of every 100 Cotton Hill Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Cotton Hill Township for work
Where Cotton Hill Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
34jobs based in Cotton Hill Township
0%of working residents work in town
11 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Cotton Hill Township
Flooded town in Illinois, United States
Cotton Hill, also known as Crow's Mill or Cotton Hill Post Office, was a small unincorporated community on the banks of Sugar Creek in Ball Township, Sangamon County, Illinois, about eight miles south of downtown Springfield. It stood for slightly over a century, from the 1820s until it was razed in the 1930s to make way for Lake Springfield. In 1900 the community had an estimated population of 150, a post office and a train station on the Illinois Central. Just before its demolition in the 1930s the community had a store, a schoolhouse, a blacksmith's shop, and a gas station on Route 66.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Questions about Cotton Hill Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Cotton Hill Township, IL a good place to live?
Cotton Hill Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.