Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A tough set of grades. Health is its weak spot (D) — CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 85% of the country. Schools are weaker too: its schools rank behind 83% of the state's. Its strongest subject is walkability (A−): it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 80% of U.S. towns. Homes run about $96K for a typical one, 1.7 times the Galesburg area’s $57K median household income. The overall grade comes out at D, 713th of 767 in Illinois. It comes out better than 11% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24.
Where Galesburg City Township beats most towns.
Carl SandburgEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Galesburg City Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 323 in 1850, 30,052 in 2020. The archive holds 23 old photos and papers going back to 1863 and 2 maps from 1925 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Galesburg City 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 Galesburg City Township.
Galesburg City Township is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has commutes shorter than most of Illinois, but it has household incomes well below the Illinois norm.
Against the 5,124 U.S. towns with household incomes like Galesburg City Township’s, it is less healthy than 59%, so that grade isn’t only a matter of income.
For adults in Galesburg City Township, the share who worry about having enough food is 21%. The share of adults in Galesburg City Township who say their health is fair or poor is 25%, against 18% in Illinois’ towns and 19% across U.S. towns.
| Galesburg City Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 18% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Galesburg City Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18.2% | 10.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.5% | 6.3% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.7% | 5.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The public schools here belong to Galesburg CUSD 205. Below: Two of its 18 schools, each with why it was picked. The 5 public schools in Galesburg City Township teach 2,187 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steele SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 542 | B− |
| Galesburg Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,158 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
6.9 miles of trail in 17 parks and preserves. Lake Storey Park, at 396 acres with 4.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Galesburg City Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.9% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Storey Park | 4.8 mi | 396 |
| 2. Kiwanis Park | 0.5 mi | 51 |
| 3. Inbinder Park | 0.5 mi | 16 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The range runs from 15° on a January night to 84° on a July afternoon, with about 26 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 10,920 working residents takes 16.6 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
The share of residents in Galesburg City Township who live below the poverty line: 19%. The typical journey to work for Galesburg City Township comes to 17 minutes, where Illinois’ towns sit at 26 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. The town’s typical household income stands at $48,000. Since 2013, Galesburg City Township has lost 2,886 jobs, to 12,482 in 2023.
| Galesburg City Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 40% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $48,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The risk rating from FEMA in Galesburg City Township is 62 of 100. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 37% come from inland flooding and 17% from strong winds. The national flood insurance program has paid 7 claims locally since 1979.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
3 within 15 miles of the center of Galesburg City Township
About 8 of every 100 Galesburg City Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
55 notable people were born in Galesburg City Township.
City in Illinois, United States
Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, United States. The city is 45 miles (72 km) northwest of Peoria. At the 2020 census, its population was 30,052. Galesburg is the home of Knox College, a private four-year liberal arts college, and Carl Sandburg College, a community college named for native-born poet Carl Sandburg. Galesburg is the county seat of Knox County and the principal city of the Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Knox and Warren counties. A 496-acre (201 ha) section of the city is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Galesburg Historic District.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Galesburg City Township.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galesburg City Township | #713 | D | B | — | C− | D |
| Galesburg · Galesburg Township | #716 | D | B | — | C− | D |
| Henderson Township | — | — | C | — | C− | C |
| Knox Township | #469 | B− | B+ | — | B | C+ |
| East Galesburg | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Knoxville | #317 | B+ | A− | — | B | B |
Henderson Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Galesburg City Township, Galesburg, Henderson Township, Knox Township and Knoxville report no FBI crime data of their own. East Galesburg isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Galesburg Township and Galesburg are one community, graded once. Compare Galesburg City Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Galesburg City Township grades D overall, better than 11% of U.S. towns and #713 of 767 in Illinois. It grades D for health and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
55 notable people were born here, including Carl Sandburg and George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr..