Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Essex Township

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Illinois›Kankakee County

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.

Small town

1,487 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns
Salina TownshipGreenfield TownshipNorton TownshipSalina TownshipGreenfield TownshipNorton TownshipEssex Township

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 grading works

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

How TownRatings grades towns →

Getting set up

Moving to Essex Township: who provides what

Who provides power, water and the rest in Essex Township, and how to reach them.

The full setup list →
PowerCommonwealth Edison17.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLake Shannon water system3 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers63% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Essex 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.gov
Who runs elections hereKankakee County ClerkKankakee County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2026
ZIP codes60935, 60961, 60913, 6048160935 73% · 60961 22% · 60913 2% · 60481 1%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 Essex Township.

Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−

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.

1%work in town
Essex TownshipIllinois townsU.S. towns
Average trip to work33 minutes26 minutes25 minutes
Below the poverty line2.5%8.4%9.6%
Working residents who work in town1.2%8.3%8%
Median household income$101,000$83,000$80,000

Where working residents work

In Essex Township1%
Kankakee10%
Chicago10%
Bourbonnais5%
Joliet5%
24 mi
median commute distance
96
jobs based in Essex Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 2% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

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.

21″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter20–35°
Spring40–61°
Summer62–83°
Fall43–64°
Oct 24
typical first frost
Apr 19
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C

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.

61risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
61High riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
1
federal disasters paid out here

FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

OutdoorsB

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.

7.1%conserved
Essex TownshipIllinois townsU.S. towns
Conserved land7.1%3.7%4.3%
Miles of trail per square mile0.2 miles per square mile0.30.4
7.1%
conserved · 1,648 of 23,062 acres
8.2 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

HealthB−

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.

52%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
Essex TownshipIllinois townsU.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%
32 measures vs. Illinois
5 better20 too close to call7 worse
What stands outEssex TownshipIL
Fewer uninsured adults7.3%9.9%
Fewer adults facing housing insecurity10%13.2%
More adults with COPD8.1%6.3%
Riverside Medical Center
15.7 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Essex Township

18pages on Essex Township
After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Essex Township; the nearest are

A commuter town

99% of working residents leave Essex Township for work

Where Essex Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

10% → Kankakee Kankakee 10% 10% → Chicago Chicago 10% 5% → Bourbonnais Bourbonnais 5% 5% → Joliet Joliet 5% 4% → Bradley Bradley 4% 3% → Wilmington Wilmington 3% Essex Township · 1% stay
96jobs based in Essex Township
1%of working residents work in town
24 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Essex Township

Village in Illinois, United States

Official town website ↗

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−.