Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
2.1 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Illinois town.
The best of Cuba’s subject grades are an A for cost of living and an A+ for civic life; the weakest is a D− for incomes. 23% of residents live below the poverty line in Cuba, against 8.4% in Illinois’ towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. On incomes, just 6 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do worse. Cuba's public schools trail 82% of Illinois towns on state tests and graduation. Only 14 of Illinois’ 1,240 towns score higher on civic life. Cuba has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Cuba beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Cuba is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 348 in 1860, a peak of 2,019 in 1910, 1,184 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1946 and 2 maps from 1948 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cuba, 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 Cuba.
The typical Cuba home is worth about $137,000, up 7.4% in a year, 54% below the Illinois typical home. Cuba’s median rent is $829 a month, below both Illinois’ towns ($1,129 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
| Cuba | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $829 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 79% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The median household income in Cuba is $42,000. Most working residents leave Cuba for work: only 9% work in town. The average trip to work in Cuba is 35 minutes.
| Cuba | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $42,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
25% of Cuba adults have been diagnosed with depression. Cuba beats the Illinois average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 39% of Cuba adults have high blood pressure.
| Cuba | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Cuba | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.1% | 10.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.8% | 6.3% |
| More smokers | 17.1% | 12.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Cuba has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 17° and about 14 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1 within 15 miles of the center of Cuba
About 7 of every 100 Cuba residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
Where Cuba’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 notable people were born in Cuba.
City in Fulton County, Illinois
Cuba is a city in Fulton County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,184 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
2.1 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Illinois town.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
3 notable people were born here, including Harry K. Newburn and Paul H. Landis.
