Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Dixon gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $182K, 2.6 years of the Dixon area’s $70K median household income. It grades C+ overall, ranked 506th of 767 in Illinois. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $59K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, it reports less crime per resident than 77% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 5 places on the National Register. 28% of working residents work locally in Dixon, above both the Illinois town median (8.3%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Only 46 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns score higher on history. Meadows Park, at 549 acres with 3.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Dixon beats most towns.
Census counts: 725 in 1840, 15,274 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1845 and 3 maps from 1918 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Dixon is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dixon, 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 Dixon.
Dixon is healthier than towns with similar incomes, trades workers with Sterling and other neighbors and has property taxes about half the Illinois norm.
| Dixon | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.4% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Meadows Park | 3.6 mi | 549 |
| 2. Van Arnam's Island | — | 48 |
| 3. Page Park | — | 46 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The median property tax bill is $2,542, against $5,298 across Illinois, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Typical home values rose 5.8% in the year to September 2026. Dixon’s median rent is $912 a month.
| Dixon | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 64% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $912 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The property crime rate in Dixon is 2.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Dixon | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.8 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.2 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 8,755 U.S. towns with household incomes like Dixon’s, it is less healthy than 53%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Dixon beats the Illinois average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 17% of Dixon adults smoke cigarettes.
| Dixon | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 36% |
| What stands out | Dixon | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 17.1% | 12.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.6% | 6.3% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 9.6% | 7.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Dixon has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 13° and about 31 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Dixon has about as many jobs (7,325) as working residents, but only 1,811 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 20.7 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
About one in 4 of Dixon’s working residents works in town. 4.8% of workers work from home in Dixon. Since 2013, Dixon has added 891 jobs, to 7,325 in 2023.
| Dixon | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 4.8% | 11% | 11% |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 37 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Dixon.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dixon. Close and well known come first.
in town National Historic SiteRonald Reagan Boyhood Home National Historic Site
in town MuseumJohn Deere House and Shop
35 mi Stadium & arenaBMO Center
38 mi TheatreEgyptian Theatre, DeKalb
38 mi GardenAnderson Japanese Gardens
38 mi MuseumEllwood HouseRonald Reagan Boyhood Home National Historic Site: Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois, CC BY-SA 2.0 · John Deere House and Shop: IvoShandor, CC BY 2.5 · BMO Center: SimLibrarian, CC0 · Egyptian Theatre, DeKalb: Andy McMurray, CC BY 2.5 · Anderson Japanese Gardens: M. Readey, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ellwood House: Paul R. Burley, CC0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Dixon
About 3 of every 100 Dixon residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
5 places in Dixon on the National Register of Historic Places.
14 notable people were born in Dixon.
City in Illinois, United States
Dixon is a city in Lee County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 15,274 as of the 2020 census. The city is named after founder John Dixon, who operated a rope ferry service across the Rock River, which runs through the city. The Illinois General Assembly designated Dixon as "Petunia Capital of Illinois" in 1999 and "The Catfish Capital of Illinois" in 2009. Dixon was the boyhood home of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. The city is also the site of the Lincoln Monument State Memorial, marking the spot where Abraham Lincoln joined the Illinois militia at Fort Dixon in 1832 during the Black Hawk War. The memorial is located on the west side of Dixon's main no…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Dixon grades C+ overall, better than 45% of U.S. towns and #506 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C for health, A− for safety and C+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
14 notable people were born here, including Isaiah Roby and John Devine.
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