Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,313.
Friends Creek Township’s best subject grades are an A− for incomes and a B for cost of living; its weakest is a D− for walkability. Only 43 of Illinois’ 1,284 towns score lower on walkability. Friends Creek Township’s median age is 50.5 years, above both Illinois’ towns (40.7 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). The biggest place to walk is Friends Creek Conservation Area, 459 acres with 5.1 miles of trail. Friends Creek Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Friends Creek Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,456 in 2000, 1,363 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2026 and 2 maps from 1979 on.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Friends Creek 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 Friends Creek Township.
Most working residents leave Friends Creek Township for work: only 2% work in town. 3.5% of Friends Creek Township residents live below the poverty line, against 8.4% in Illinois’ towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Since 2013, Friends Creek Township has added 52 jobs, to 98 in 2023.
| Friends Creek Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3.5% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.3% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $90,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by Argenta-Oreana CUSD 1. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argenta-Oreana Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 180 | C |
| Argenta-Oreana High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 268 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
Friends Creek Township has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 18° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Friends Creek Township beats the Illinois average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 39% of adults have obesity in Friends Creek Township.
| Friends Creek Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 35% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 16% |
| What stands out | Friends Creek Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.1% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.5% | 15.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.3% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
6.4 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The trail density in Friends Creek Township is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Friends Creek Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.3% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Friends Creek Conservation Area | 5.1 mi | 459 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 52% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Friends Creek Township since 1979.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Friends Creek Township. Close and well known come first.
32 mi Stadium & arenaGies Memorial Stadium
33 mi LandmarkAmerican Football House
9 mi GardenRobert Allerton Park
14 mi MuseumMonticello Railway Museum13 mi Zoo & aquariumScovill Zoo
33 mi TheatreKrannert Center for the Performing ArtsGies Memorial Stadium: T.J. Blakeman, CC BY-SA 4.0 · American Football House: BanjoZebra, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Robert Allerton Park: D. Finnigan, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Monticello Railway Museum: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Krannert Center for the Performing Arts: Aries Liang, Public domain
2 within 15 miles of the center of Friends Creek Township
About 3 of every 100 Friends Creek Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
Where Friends Creek Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Township in Illinois, United States
Friends Creek Township is located in Macon County, Illinois. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,363 and it contained 589 housing units.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
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