Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
2 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Illinois town.
Franklin Grove Township’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living and history and an A+ for civic life; its weakest is a C− for walkability. 28% of residents are 65 or older in Franklin Grove Township, where Illinois’ towns sit at 19% and U.S. towns at 18%. On civic life, just 28 of Illinois’ 1,240 towns do better. Col. Nathan Whitney House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Franklin Grove Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Franklin Grove Township beats most towns.
Col. Nathan Whitney House1,416 counted in 2010 and 1,203 in 2020; an estimated 1,199 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Franklin Grove Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 757 in 1870, 896 in 2020. The archive holds 13 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 2 maps from 1918 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Franklin Grove 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Franklin Grove Township.
Its one school is below. The public schools here belong to Ashton-Franklin Center CUSD 275. 218 students attend Franklin Grove Township’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashton-Franklin Center Elem SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 218 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
2.2% of Franklin Grove Township working residents work locally. Franklin Grove Township had 170 jobs in 2023, down 168 from 2013. The median commute is under 21 miles. Its middle household income stands at $63,000.
| Franklin Grove Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $63,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.2% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
For Franklin Grove Township, the July high is 83°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
For adults in Franklin Grove Township, the share who worry about having enough food is 11%. Against the Illinois average, Franklin Grove Township comes out ahead on 7 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 6. Among adults in the town, 15% report frequent mental distress and 80% had a checkup this year.
| Franklin Grove Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 80% | 78% | 79% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 33% |
| What stands out | Franklin Grove Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.8% | 13.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.8% | 15.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.2% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 63% of U.S. communities. 56% of Franklin Grove Township’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 13%.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The biggest place to walk is Nachusa Grasslands, 365 acres with 1.1 miles of trail. 5.7 miles of trail wind through 6 parks and preserves. Franklin Grove Township’s trail density stands at 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Franklin Grove Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.7% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Franklin Creek State Natural Area | 3.7 mi | 303 |
| 2. Nachusa Grasslands | 1.1 mi | 365 |
| 3. Hurd Tract | 0.5 mi | 39 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Franklin Grove Township. Close and well known come first.
39 mi State parkStarved Rock State Park
9 mi National Historic SiteRonald Reagan Boyhood Home National Historic Site
33 mi Stadium & arenaBMO Center
30 mi TheatreEgyptian Theatre, DeKalb
9 mi MuseumJohn Deere House and Shop
35 mi GardenAnderson Japanese GardensStarved Rock State Park: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home National Historic Site: Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois, CC BY-SA 2.0 · BMO Center: SimLibrarian, CC0 · Egyptian Theatre, DeKalb: Andy McMurray, CC BY 2.5 · John Deere House and Shop: IvoShandor, CC BY 2.5 · Anderson Japanese Gardens: M. Readey, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Franklin Grove Township
About 3 of every 100 Franklin Grove Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Village in Illinois, United States
Franklin Grove is a village in Lee County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, Franklin Grove had a population of 896.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
2 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Illinois town.
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.
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