Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Freeport earns a D, ranked 708th of 767 in Illinois, mostly because of schools and health. Its schools rank behind 94% of the state's. Residents are less healthy than 84% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It also has a long history, with 3 places on the National Register. 36% of working residents work locally in Freeport, where Illinois’ towns sit at 8.3% and U.S. towns at 8%. Freeport is home to Highland Community College. Only 5 of the 768 Illinois towns we compare have a lower January low than Freeport.
Where Freeport beats most towns.
Oscar Taylor House
Calista Flockhart
Census counts: 491 in 1840, 23,973 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1858 and 3 maps from 1939 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Freeport is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Freeport, 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 Freeport.
Freeport is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
At 2 years of the Freeport area’s $64K median household income, the typical home (about $128K) costs less against local pay than in 79% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $2,411, against $5,298 across Illinois, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Freeport home is worth about $128,000, up 6.1% in a year, 57% below the Illinois typical home. Freeport’s median rent is $793 a month.
| Freeport | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $793 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 6,366 U.S. towns with household incomes like Freeport’s, it is less healthy than 63%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
42% of adults have high blood pressure in Freeport. Freeport beats the Illinois average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 15% of adults have diabetes in Freeport.
| Freeport | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 11% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 35% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 37% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Freeport | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.8% | 75.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.8% | 10.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Freeport has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 12° and about 35 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
2.3 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. Krape Park, at 111 acres with 1.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Freeport | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.9% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Krape Park | 1.5 mi | 111 |
| 2. Read Park | 0.4 mi | 42 |
| 3. Taylor Park | — | 68 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
73 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 14 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 73 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Freeport.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The violent crime rate in Freeport is 2.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Freeport | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.5 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.9 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The average commute for its 9,574 working residents takes 15.9 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
About one in 3 of Freeport’s working residents works in town. 20% of Freeport residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Freeport fell to 10,123 in 2023, 721 fewer than in 2013.
| Freeport | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 10% | 11% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
1 within 15 miles of the center of Freeport
About 3 of every 100 Freeport residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
3 places in Freeport on the National Register of Historic Places.
37 notable people were born in Freeport.
City in Illinois, United States
Freeport is the largest city in Stephenson County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 23,973 at the 2020 census. Located along the Pecatonica River, Freeport is known for hosting the second Lincoln–Douglas debate of 1858, and as "Pretzel City, USA", due to a popular German bakery that became known for its prolific pretzel production in the 19th century. Freeport High School's mascot is the Pretzel to honor its heritage.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Freeport.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freeport · Freeport Township | #708 | D | B+ | C+ | D | C− |
| Lancaster Township | — | — | B+ | — | D | C |
| Florence Township | — | — | B− | — | C− | C |
| Harlem Township | — | — | B | — | D | C |
| Silver Creek Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Lancaster Township, Florence Township and Harlem Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Lancaster Township, Florence Township and Harlem Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Silver Creek Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Freeport Township and Freeport are one community, graded once. Compare Freeport with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Freeport grades D overall, better than 11% of U.S. towns and #708 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C− for health, C+ for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. That is 2 years of the area's median household income ($64,043 across the Freeport, 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+.
37 notable people were born here, including Calista Flockhart and Louella Parsons.
