Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Galena is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades A overall, 132nd among Illinois's 767 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its public schools beat 79% of Illinois towns on state tests and graduation. It also does better than most on health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 79% of the country. A typical home there costs about $304K, 4.1 years of the county’s $74K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 99% of U.S. towns, with 5 places on the National Register. 40% of working residents work locally in Galena, above both Illinois’ towns (8.3%) and U.S. towns (8%). Galena is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns. Only 4 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns score higher on history.
Where Galena beats most towns.
Ulysses S. Grant House
Ulysses S. Grant House is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 6,004 in 1850, a peak of 8,196 in 1860, 3,308 in 2020. The archive holds 22 old photos and papers going back to 1906 and 2 maps from 1911 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Galena is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Galena, 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 Galena.
Galena draws workers from Dubuque and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
4.0 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The trail density in Galena is 0.9 miles per square mile. Gateway Park, at 108 acres with 1.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Galena | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.6% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gateway Park | 1.2 mi | 108 |
| 2. Grant View Park | 0.6 mi | 6 |
| 3. Recreation Park | 0.1 mi | 41 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2,260 jobs are based in Galena, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 21% of working residents cross a state line to work, Dubuque among the top destinations.
Galena’s average trip to work is 15 minutes. Since 2013, Galena has added 125 jobs, to 2,260 in 2023. Galena’s median household income is $59,000.
| Galena | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.4% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
9.2% of Galena residents are under 18. Among 768 Illinois towns, just 1 have a higher median age than Galena. Galena has lost 3.2% of its people since 2020, down to 3,210 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Galena | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 9.2% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 57 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 29% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.5 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Galena | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.1% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 3.1% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.7% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 5.4% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.6% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.5% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.5% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.4% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 22.7% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.3% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.3% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.6% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.5% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.5% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.8% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,200, single groups can be off by several points
Against the 8,565 U.S. towns with household incomes like Galena’s, it is healthier than 97%, so its A− isn’t only a matter of income.
14% of adults report frequent mental distress in Galena. Galena beats the Illinois average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 30% of adults feel lonely in Galena.
| Galena | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 35% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Galena | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.9% | 15.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.6% | 13.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.7% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Galena has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 12° and about 38 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 59% of U.S. communities. Since 1985, 18 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Galena.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Galena home is worth about $305,000, up 1.5% in a year, close to the Illinois typical home.
| Galena | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $836 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Galena. Close and well known come first.
11 mi MountainCharles Moundin town MuseumChicago Athenaeum
13 mi MuseumNational Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium250K visitors a year
13 mi TheatreFive Flags Center
13 mi MuseumApple River Fort
in town MuseumOld Market HouseCharles Mound: Skye Marthaler, CC BY-SA 3.0 · National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium: Dirk Hansen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Five Flags Center: Dirk Hansen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Apple River Fort: IvoShandor, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Old Market House: IvoShandor, CC BY-SA 3.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Galena
About 2 of every 100 Galena residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
Where Galena’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in Galena on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 notable people were born in Galena.
City in Illinois, United States
Galena is the largest city in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 3,308 at the 2020 census. A 581-acre (235 ha) section of the city is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Galena Historic District. The city is named for the mineral galena, which was in the ore that formed the basis for the region's early lead mining economy. Native Americans, primarily Meskwaki, Ho-Chunk, Sauk, and Menominee had mined galena in the area for more than a thousand years before European Americans settled in the area. Owing to these deposits, Galena was the site of the first major mineral rush in the United States. By 1828, the population w…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Galena.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galena | #132 | A | B− | — | A− | A− |
| West Galena Township | #89 | A | B− | — | A− | A− |
| East Galena Township | — | — | C+ | — | A− | A− |
| Rawlins Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
East Galena Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Galena, West Galena Township and East Galena Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Rawlins Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Galena with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Galena grades A overall, better than 89% of U.S. towns and #132 of 767 in Illinois. It grades A− for health and A− for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
12 notable people were born here, including Donald William Kerst and Frederick Schwatka.
