Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Danville earns a D−, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns, mostly because of schools and safety. Its public schools score at or near the bottom of Illinois. Its crime rate is higher than 99% of U.S. towns, with 404 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. It also has a long history, with 10 places on the National Register. 40% of working residents work locally in Danville, against 8.3% in Illinois’ towns and 8% across U.S. towns. On health, just 17 of Illinois’ 1,284 towns do worse. Its National Register listings include Fithian House and Danville Public Library.
Where Danville beats most towns.
Census counts: 503 in 1840, a peak of 42,570 in 1970, 29,204 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1865 and 2 maps from 1899 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Danville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Danville, 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 Danville.
Danville is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it reports violent crime at 6 times the Illinois rate.
At 1.5 years of the Danville area’s $57K median household income, the typical home (about $83K) costs less against local pay than in 93% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living. At about $83K, home values are up 10% in five years, against a rise of 30% across Illinois.
The typical Danville home is worth about $83,000, up 3.4% in a year, 72% below the Illinois typical home. 57% of Danville households own their home.
| Danville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $846 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Violent crime runs at 14.6 per 1,000 residents, 6 times the Illinois rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Property crime runs at 45.9 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Illinois rate, most of it theft.
Danville’s violent crime rate is 14.6 per 1,000 residents. Among 357 Illinois towns, just 2 have a higher property crime rate than Danville. Danville reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 99% report less.
| Danville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.6 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 45.9 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 4,335 U.S. towns with household incomes like Danville’s, it is less healthy than 79%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
47% of adults have obesity in Danville. Among 767 Illinois towns, just 7 have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Danville. 16% of adults have diabetes in Danville.
| Danville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 37% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 35% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 18% | 19% |
| What stands out | Danville | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 15.2% | 7.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.3% | 10.3% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 28.1% | 15.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
4.9 miles of trail in 16 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Ellsworth Park, at 67 acres.
| Danville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.4% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ellsworth Park | 0.1 mi | 67 |
| 2. Winterview Park | — | 58 |
| 3. Winter Park | 0.1 mi | 27 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Danville has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 18° and about 15 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 10,848 working residents takes 14.4 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
The average trip to work in Danville is 14 minutes. Since 2013, Danville has lost 2,272 jobs, to 15,343 in 2023. The median household income in Danville is $46,000.
| Danville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 25% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9% | 11% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 23 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Danville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Danville
About 2 of every 100 Danville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
2 colleges in town.
10 places in Danville on the National Register of Historic Places.
53 notable people were born in Danville.
City in Illinois, United States
Danville is a city in Vermilion County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 29,204 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Danville micropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Danville.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; Tilton (D−) is closest.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danville · Danville Township | #766 | D− | B | D− | D− | D |
| Tilton | #760 | D− | A− | D | D− | D |
| Blount Township | #590 | C | B− | — | B | C− |
| Newell Township | #626 | C− | B− | — | B | C |
Blount Township and Newell Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Danville Township and Danville are one community, graded once. Compare Danville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Danville grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns. It grades D for health, D− for safety and D− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D−.
The public schools Danville children attend trail 100% of Illinois districts on state tests and graduation, a D− School Grade.
That is 1.5 years of the area's median household income ($56,877 across the Danville, IL 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.
53 notable people were born here, including Ned Luke and Jerry Van Dyke.
