Pioneers, 2012
Elmwood Township’s story
182 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,182 in 1860, 2,058 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1861 and 3 maps from 1944 on.
- 1844Elmwood Township is settled
Elmwood TownshipIL
4 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK · CC BY 2.0
Population
2,454
2025 Census estimate · −2.1% since 2020
Median home value
$162K
Census ACS
Household income
$91K
median
Median age
42.3
years
Jobs based here
316
A commuter town
Is Elmwood Township a good place to live?
Elmwood Township’s best subject grades are an A− for cost of living and health and an A for history. Elmwood Township’s typical rent is $713 a month, where Illinois’ towns sit at $1,129 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. Elmwood Township is more walkable than 75% of U.S. towns. On history, just 93 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do better. Elmwood Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 86% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Sweetwater Park, at 25 acres. Elmwood Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Elmwood Township stand out
Where Elmwood Township beats most towns.
0historic places
HistoryA
Settled in 1844
A long history
A history going back 182 years.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Elmwood Township6.9
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical IL town3.4
Civic lifeA
2.1 times the nonprofits per person
than the typical Illinois town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
A commuter town
94% of working residents leave Elmwood Township for work
Where Elmwood Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
316jobs based in Elmwood Township
6%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Elmwood Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Elmwood Township is from typical.
Cost of livingTypical home $162K, 2.3 years of the Peoria metro’s $72K median household incomeA−Open →HealthGraham Hospital Association 15.6 miles awayA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7 of 20; 7.7% of households have no car; 6.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB+Open →Jobs & income$91K median household incomeB+Open →SchoolsSchools do better than mostB+Open →Hazard riskInland flooding tops the listBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors4 miles of trails; 2% conserved landBOpen →HistoryAmong the best of the towns comparedAOpen →Civic life3.2 library visits per resident; 6.9 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Elmwood Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Elmwood Township, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterElmwood water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet8 providers91% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Elmwood Township’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 herePeoria County Election CommissionPeoria County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2026
ZIP codes61529, 61569, 6151761529 94% · 61569 4% · 61517 2%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 Elmwood Township.
HealthA−
Residents of Elmwood Township are healthier than four in five U.S. towns
Just over one in ten adults smoke cigarettes in Elmwood Township. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Elmwood Township is ahead of Illinois on 8 and behind on 2. In Elmwood Township, 20% of adults get no exercise outside work, and 9.4% worry about having enough food.
80%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Elmwood Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 37% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 23% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 9.4% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
8 better22 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Elmwood Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.7% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.4% | 15.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 7.6% |
Graham Hospital Association
15.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsB+
Elmwood Township’s public schools outperform 66% of Illinois districts
The public schools here belong to Elmwood CUSD 322. Below: Two of its 3 schools, each with why it was picked.
66%of IL districts it outscoresB+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elmwood Elem SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 314 | A− |
| Elmwood High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 208 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
Elmwood Township has 0.3 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Just 6% of Elmwood Township’s working residents have a job in town. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Elmwood Township dropped by 33, to 316. Half of commuters travel less than 20 miles. The top destinations are Peoria (35%), Elmwood (6%) and Farmington (6%).
6%work in town
| Elmwood Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $91,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.2% | 8.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Elmwood Township6%
Peoria35%
Elmwood6%
Farmington6%
East Peoria4%
20 mi
median commute distance
316
jobs based in Elmwood Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 75% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Who lives here
Fewer adults under 35 in Elmwood Township than across Illinois
Elmwood Township has lost 2.1% of its people since 2020, down to 2,454 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Adults 18 to 34 are just over one in ten residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 44% of residents (39% statewide). The share of adults 25 and older in Elmwood Township who hold a bachelor’s degree or more: 37%.
42.3median age · IL 39
| Elmwood Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 29% | 29% |
| Median age | 42.3 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
Elmwood TownshipIllinoisUnited States
Ages · share of residents
18%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma4%
High school24%
Some college27%
Associate’s8%
Bachelor’s25%
Graduate12%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±8.2 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Elmwood Township | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15.1% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.7% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.9% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 5.4% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 18.2% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.9% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.6% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.8% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.4% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.2% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.4% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 26.6% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.1% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.9% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.8% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,500, single groups can be off by several points
Climate
Expect four seasons and pleasant summers in Elmwood Township
In July, afternoons reach 86°; in January, nights fall to 16°, and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
21″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter19–36°
Spring40–63°
Summer62–84°
Fall43–65°
Oct 23
typical first frost
Apr 16
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Top of a low hazard risk in Elmwood Township: inland flooding
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Elmwood Township once, in 1999. Elmwood Township’s FEMA hazard score comes in at 36 of 100. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 38% come from inland flooding and 25% from cold waves.
36risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsB
1.8% of the land in Elmwood Township is protected from building
4.1 miles of trail wind through 1 park or preserve. In Elmwood Township, the density of trails is 0.1 miles per square mile.
1.8%conserved
| Elmwood Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.8% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
1.8%
conserved · 414 of 23,236 acres
4.1 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sweetwater Park | — | 25 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 17 attractions →Dickson Mounds and 8 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Elmwood Township. Close and well known come first.
30 mi MuseumDickson Mounds
9 mi Zoo & aquariumWildlife Prairie Park18 mi Zoo & aquariumPeoria Zoo
26 mi MuseumCarl Sandburg State Historic Site
18 mi GardenGeorge L. Luthy Memorial Botanical Garden
29 mi MuseumAdlai E. Stevenson I HouseSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Dickson Mounds: MattHucke, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wildlife Prairie Park: Katherine Johnson, CC BY 2.0 · Carl Sandburg State Historic Site: Robert Haugland, CC BY-SA 4.0 · George L. Luthy Memorial Botanical Garden: Original uploader was ProfDEH at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Adlai E. Stevenson I House: Nyttend, Public domain
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Elmwood Township
18pages on Elmwood Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Elmwood Township
About 4 of every 100 Elmwood Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
About Elmwood Township
City in Illinois, United States
Elmwood is a city in Peoria County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, Elmwood had a population of 2,058. Elmwood is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 623 ft
- ZIP code
- 61529
- Area code
- 309
Elmwood Township’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Elmwood Township.
Rosefield TownshipSalem TownshipBrimfield TownshipTrivoli TownshipElmwood Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elmwood Township | — | — | A− | — | B+ | A− |
| Rosefield Township | — | — | D | — | B+ | A |
| Salem Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Brimfield Township | — | — | A− | — | A− | A |
| Trivoli Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Elmwood Township, Rosefield Township and Brimfield Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Elmwood Township, Rosefield Township and Brimfield Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Salem Township and Trivoli Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Elmwood Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Elmwood Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Elmwood Township, IL expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.