Essex TownshipIL
A town of 1,487, settled in 1854.
Is Essex Township a good place to live?
Essex Township’s best subject grade is an A− for incomes; its weakest is a D− for walkability. Essex Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
1,487 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Essex Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Essex Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Essex Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Essex 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Essex Township.
With only 0.1 jobs per working resident, most people in Essex Township work out of town
In Essex Township, 1.2% of working residents work locally, against 8.3% in Illinois’ towns and 8% across U.S. towns. The town’s average trip to work stands at 33 minutes. For half of commuters, work is under 24 miles away. 2.5% of Essex Township residents live below the poverty line.
| Essex Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 2.5% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.2% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $101,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expect four seasons and pleasant summers in Essex Township
Summer afternoons peak near 85° in July, and January nights bottom out around 17°; snowfall runs to about 21 inches a winter. Winters in Essex Township are chilly and summers warm.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Essex Township faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 70% come from inland flooding and 13% from cold waves. In Essex Township, the FEMA hazard score is 61 of 100, above both Illinois’ towns (50 of 100) and U.S. towns (44 of 100). One declared disaster, in 1999, has brought federal aid to Essex Township households.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Protected land: 7.1% of Essex Township
8.2 miles of trail. In Essex Township, the concentration of trails is 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Essex Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.1% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Essex Township is healthier than 52% of U.S. towns
38% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Essex Township. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Essex Township is ahead of Illinois on 5 and behind on 7.
| Essex Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Essex Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.3% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10% | 13.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.1% | 6.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Essex Township
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Essex Township; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Essex Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
99% of working residents leave Essex Township for work
Where Essex Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Essex Township
Village in Illinois, United States
Essex is a village in Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 841 at the 2020 census, up from 802 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Kankakee-Bradley, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 589 ft
- ZIP code
- 60935
Questions about Essex Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Essex Township, IL expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.