19960107 22 BNSF, 1996
Earlville’s story
182 years in pictures
Census counts: 963 in 1880, 1,613 in 2020. The archive holds 13 old photos and papers going back to 1996 and 2 maps from 1951 on.
- 1844Earlville is settled
EarlvilleIL
Photo: Christopher Columbus the Third Sir · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,590
2025 Census estimate · −1.6% since 2020
Typical home
$245K
+4.2% in a year
Household income
$64K
median
Median age
33.0
years
Jobs based here
283
A commuter town
Is Earlville a good place to live?
Earlville’s best subject grade is a B+ for history; its weakest is a C− for incomes. On hazard risk, just 96 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do better. Earlville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Earlville stand out
Where Earlville beats most towns.
A commuter town
92% of working residents leave Earlville for work
Where Earlville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
283jobs based in Earlville
8%of working residents work in town
27 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Earlville grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Earlville is from typical.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 21% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA−Open →Jobs & income$64K median household income; 283 jobs based hereC−Open →SchoolsBehind 66% of Illinois districts on tests and graduationCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.9 of 20; 7.4% of households have no car; 5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →HealthOSF Saint Paul Medical Center 8.9 miles awayC+Open →Cost of livingB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsC−Open →History5 notable people born hereB+Open →Civic life3.3 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsBOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 33.0; 10% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Earlville: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Earlville, and how to reach them.
PowerCommonwealth Edison17.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterEarlville water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Earlville’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Illinois you can register online until 16 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 28 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereLaSalle County ClerkLaSalle County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP code6051860518 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Earlville.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Low risk in Earlville, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 79% of U.S. communities.
21risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesDrought
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
With 0.5 jobs for every working resident, most of Earlville’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Earlville for work: only 8% work in town. Earlville’s average trip to work is 32 minutes, against 26 minutes in Illinois’ towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. 17% of residents live below the poverty line in Earlville.
8%work in town
| Earlville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Earlville8%
Ottawa9%
Mendota4%
Chicago4%
Peru3%
27 mi
median commute distance
283
jobs based in Earlville
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 58% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Earlville has four seasons and pleasant summers
Earlville has cold winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 15° and about 30 inches of snow falls in a winter.
30″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter18–33°
Spring38–60°
Summer61–82°
Fall42–63°
Oct 15
typical first frost
Apr 27
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade B−
Earlville’s typical home value is about $245K
The typical Earlville home is worth about $245,000, up 4.2% in a year, 17% below the Illinois typical home. 63% of households own their home in Earlville, below both Illinois’ towns (75%) and U.S. towns (73%). Earlville’s median rent is $966 a month.
$245KZillow home value
| Earlville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 63% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $966 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Earlville$245K
Illinois$296K
+4.2%
value change, 1 year
2
homes sold in April
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
HealthC+
Health in Earlville trails 57% of U.S. towns
Earlville beats the Illinois average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 20% of Earlville adults binge drink.
43%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Earlville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 33% | 33% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
0 better25 too close to call7 worse
| What stands out | Earlville | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 16.4% | 12.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.2% | 6.3% |
| More adults with depression | 23.7% | 19.8% |
OSF Saint Paul Medical Center
8.9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
OutdoorsC−
Earlville has set aside 0% of its land for conservation
0.1 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 764 acres
0.1 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dodge Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Earlville
19pages on Earlville
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Earlville; the nearest are
Illinois Valley Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Oglesby21.5 mi$4,200 in-state tuitionNorthern Illinois UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Dekalb25.2 mi$13,248 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Earlville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
Famous people from Earlville
5 notable people were born in Earlville.
D
Dave DupeeAmerican basketball player · 1916–2008About Earlville
City in Illinois, United States
Earlville is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,613 at the 2020 census, down from 1,701 at the 2010 census. The city is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 702 ft
- ZIP code
- 60518
- Area code
- 815
Questions about Earlville
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Earlville, IL expensive?
That is 3.4 years of the area's median household income ($72,230 across the Ottawa, 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−.
What is Earlville, IL known for?
5 notable people were born here, including Gary K. Wolf and Fritz Crisler.