Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
25% of residents live below the poverty line in DeKalb Township, where Illinois’ towns sit at 8.4% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Among 769 Illinois towns, just 7 have a lower median age than DeKalb Township. The biggest park or preserve is Prairie Park, at 107 acres. We don’t grade DeKalb Township yet; the figures below are still real.
Where DeKalb Township beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,598 in 1880, 40,290 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1934 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in DeKalb 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 DeKalb Township.
Adults 18 to 34 are 43% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 27% of residents (39% statewide). 11% of residents are 65 or older in DeKalb Township, against 19% in Illinois’ towns and 18% across U.S. towns. 34% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 38% across Illinois.
| DeKalb Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 11% | 19% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 19% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 29% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.1 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 26.6, men 26.5.
| DeKalb Township | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.2% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.7% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 28.6% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.3% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.8% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.1% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.1% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.1% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.3% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.8% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.2% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.5% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.3% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.8% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Its public schools are run by DeKalb CUSD 428. Two of its 11 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntley Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 865 | C |
| DeKalb High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,134 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts
DeKalb Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 14° and about 33 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 4 of DeKalb Township’s working residents works in town. The median household income in DeKalb Township is $47,000. The top destinations are DeKalb (24%), Sycamore (9%) and Chicago (5%).
| DeKalb Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 28% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 6.5% | 11% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 64% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 168 flood insurance claims have been paid out in DeKalb Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
21% of adults report frequent mental distress in DeKalb Township. DeKalb Township beats the Illinois average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 37% of adults feel lonely in DeKalb Township.
| DeKalb Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 17% | 17% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 13% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 33% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 78% | 79% |
| What stands out | DeKalb Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6% | 7.6% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 20.9% | 24.2% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 13.4% | 8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| DeKalb Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.1% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. P. A. Nehring Forest Preserve | 1 mi | 34 |
| 2. Rotary Park | 0.7 mi | 20 |
| 3. Mason Park | 0.6 mi | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around DeKalb Township. Close and well known come first.
24 mi MuseumIllinois Railway Museum
in town TheatreEgyptian Theatre, DeKalb
in town MuseumEllwood House
37 mi MuseumMorton Arboretum
29 mi Stadium & arenaBMO Center
28 mi Theme parkSanta's Village Amusement & Water ParkIllinois Railway Museum: The original uploader was Slambo at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 · Egyptian Theatre, DeKalb: Andy McMurray, CC BY 2.5 · Ellwood House: Paul R. Burley, CC0 · Morton Arboretum: Bruce Marlin, CC BY-SA 2.5 · BMO Center: SimLibrarian, CC0 · Santa's Village Amusement & Water Park: Martin Lewison from The Hague, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands, CC BY-SA 2.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of DeKalb Township
College town 25 of every 100 DeKalb Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
City in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States
DeKalb ( dih-KALB) is a city in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. The population was 40,290 at the 2020 census. The city is named after decorated Franconian-French war hero Johann de Kalb, who died during the American Revolutionary War. Founded in 1856, DeKalb became important in the development and manufacture of barbed wire, especially for agriculture and raising livestock. While agricultural-related industries remain a facet of the city, along with health and services, the city's largest employer in the 21st century is Northern Illinois University, founded in 1895. DeKalb is about 65 miles (105 km) west of downtown Chicago.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with DeKalb Township.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeKalb Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cortland Township | #460 | B− | C− | — | B− | A− |
| Malta Township | — | — | B | — | C− | B |
| Afton Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mayfield Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Malta Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Cortland Township and Malta Township report no FBI crime data of their own. DeKalb Township, Afton Township and Mayfield Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare DeKalb Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
We don’t grade DeKalb Township yet; the figures below are still real.
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