Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 551.
95% of households own their home in Dawson Township, above both the Illinois town median (75%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%). Moraine View State Recreation Area, at 1,354 acres with 3.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Dawson Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
The archive holds 2 maps from 1951 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Dawson Township, 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 Dawson Township.
Most working residents leave Dawson Township for work: only 2% work in town. Since 2013, Dawson Township has added 84 jobs, to 96 in 2023. The top destinations are Bloomington (34%), Normal (7%) and Gibson City (6%).
| Dawson Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.6% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.9% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 35 to 64 are 51% of residents (39% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (23% statewide). 12% of Dawson Township residents are 65 or older, against 19% in Illinois’ towns and 18% across U.S. towns. Dawson Township’s median age is 46.4 years.
| Dawson Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 12% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 46.4 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 21% | 22% | 22% |
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women. Among residents 25 to 34, 80% are men (IL 50%).
| Dawson Township | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.3% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.7% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.9% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.5% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.2% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 29% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.2% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.1% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.8% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 38.4% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.7% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.9% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.3% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 600, single groups can be off by several points
Dawson Township has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 17° and about 20 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Dawson Township beats the Illinois average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 38% of Dawson Township adults have high blood pressure.
| Dawson Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 35% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Dawson Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.2% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.1% | 13.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.7% | 6.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
3.2 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The trail density in Dawson Township is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Dawson Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.9% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Moraine View State Recreation Area | 3.1 mi | 1,354 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 55% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dawson Township. Close and well known come first.
37 mi LandmarkAmerican Football House
36 mi Stadium & arenaGies Memorial Stadium
32 mi GardenRobert Allerton Park13 mi Zoo & aquariumMiller Park Zoo
29 mi MuseumMonticello Railway Museum
33 mi MuseumOctave Chanute Aerospace MuseumAmerican Football House: BanjoZebra, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gies Memorial Stadium: T.J. Blakeman, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Robert Allerton Park: D. Finnigan, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Monticello Railway Museum: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Dawson Township
About 3 of every 100 Dawson Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
Where Dawson Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Township in Illinois, United States
Dawson Township is located in McLean County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 590 and it contained 253 housing units.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Dawson Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
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