Route 66 sign on Route 66, 2023
Gardner Township’s story
Gardner Township in pictures
The archive holds 15 old photos and papers going back to 2023 and 3 maps from 1909 on.
Explore the history →Gardner TownshipIL
A town of 4,551.
Population
4,551
2025 Census estimate · −1.7% since 2020
Median home value
$249K
Census ACS
Household income
$104K
median
Median age
42.3
years
Jobs based here
490
A commuter town
TownGrade
A−
#274 of 767 in IL
Is Gardner Township a good place to live?
Gardner Township gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $249K for a typical one, or 3.3 years of the Springfield metro’s $76K median household income. It grades A− overall, 274th among Illinois's 767 graded towns. On the plus side, the median household earns $104K. On walkability, just 99 of Illinois’ 1,284 towns do worse. The biggest park or preserve is Lewis Park & Trails, at 44 acres. Only 7 of the 768 Illinois towns we compare have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Gardner Township.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Gardner Township for work
Where Gardner Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
490jobs based in Gardner Township
4%of working residents work in town
8 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Gardner Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Gardner Township is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.8 of 20; 1.4% of households have no car; 0.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Jobs & incomeA−Open →HealthMemorial Medical Center 7 miles awayA−Open →Cost of livingBOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 31% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listBOpen →SchoolsBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trails; 4% conserved landCOpen →HistoryC−Open →Civic life2.3 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 15 attractions →Lincoln Tomb and 11 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gardner Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw6 mi LandmarkLincoln Tomb
7 mi National Historic SiteLincoln Home National Historic Site124K visitors a year
10 mi MuseumLincoln's New Salem7 mi National MonumentSpringfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument
7 mi MuseumOld State Capitol State Historic Site
40 mi MuseumDickson MoundsSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Lincoln Tomb: David Jones, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Lincoln Home National Historic Site: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lincoln's New Salem: Unknown, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Old State Capitol State Historic Site: Shadow2700 at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Dickson Mounds: MattHucke, CC BY-SA 3.0
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Gardner Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gardner Township, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSpringfield water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet9 providers84% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Gardner Township’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Illinois you can register online until 16 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 28 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereSangamon County ClerkSangamon County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes62711, 62677, 62707, 6267062711 58% · 62677 22% · 62707 16% · 62670 4%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Gardner Township.
Gardner Township has less no health insurance than most of Illinois and sends most of its workers to Springfield and beyond.
HealthA−
Residents of Gardner Township are healthier than 78% of U.S. towns
Its widest gap with Illinois is no health insurance: 5.5% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 9.9% statewide.
Gardner Township beats the Illinois average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 19% of Gardner Township adults get no exercise outside work, where Illinois’ towns sit at 23% and U.S. towns at 25%. 15% of Gardner Township adults report frequent mental distress.
78%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Gardner Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 23% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 35% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 33% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
10 better20 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Gardner Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.5% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.2% | 15.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.3% | 7.6% |
Memorial Medical Center
7 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
67th
percentile among IL towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsB
Gardner Township’s public schools outperform 56% of Illinois districts
Its public schools are run by Pleasant Plains CUSD 8. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
56%of IL districts it outscoresBSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farmingdale Elem SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 485 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
More than half of Gardner Township’s working residents commute to Springfield
Gardner Township has 490 jobs for its 2,114 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 18.7 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
Most working residents leave Gardner Township for work: only 4% work in town. Gardner Township’s average trip to work is 19 minutes, below both Illinois’ towns (26 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Since 2013, Gardner Township has lost 82 jobs, to 490 in 2023.
4%work in town
| Gardner Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $104,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4% | 8.4% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Gardner Township4%
Springfield60%
Chicago2%
Bloomington2%
Decatur1%
8 mi
median commute distance
490
jobs based in Gardner Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 12% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Inland flooding leads a low hazard risk in Gardner Township
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 69% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Gardner Township since 2022.
31risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
1
paid flood claims since 2022
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
In Gardner Township, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Gardner Township has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 19° and about 22 inches of snow falls in a winter.
22″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter22–39°
Spring42–64°
Summer63–85°
Fall44–66°
Oct 20
typical first frost
Apr 14
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsC
Gardner Township has set aside 3.8% of its land for conservation
0.2 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
3.8%conserved
3.8%
conserved · 1,039 of 27,153 acres
0.2 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lewis Park & Trails | — | 44 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HousingCost of living grade B
A home in Gardner Township sells for about $190K at the median
93% of households own their home in Gardner Township.
$190Kmedian sale price
| Gardner Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 93% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $798 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
3
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Gardner Township
18pages on Gardner Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Gardner Township
St. John's College-Department of NursingUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Springfield7.1 miUniversity of Illinois SpringfieldUniversity or college · Public · Springfield11.3 mi$12,252 in-state tuitionLincoln Land Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Springfield11.9 mi$3,744 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Gardner Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
About Gardner Township
Township in Illinois, United States
Gardner Township is located in Sangamon County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 4,245 and it contained 1,732 housing units. The township contains the unincorporated communities of Bradfordton and Salisbury. The township annexed the western half of Salisbury Township in 1989, thereby taking in the unincorporated village of Salisbury and increasing in size.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 43 sq mi
Gardner Township’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Gardner Township.
Springfield Township next door grades lower for schools (D− to Gardner Township’s B) and higher for cost of living (A to B).
Capital TownshipSpringfieldFancy Creek TownshipSpringfield TownshipCartwright TownshipGardner Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gardner Township | #274 | A− | B | — | B | A− |
| Capital Township | #580 | C | B | — | C− | B− |
| Springfield | #702 | D | B | D− | C− | C+ |
| Fancy Creek Township | #208 | A− | C | — | A− | A− |
| Springfield Township | #609 | C | A | — | D− | C+ |
| Cartwright Township | — | — | B+ | — | B | A− |
Cartwright Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Gardner Township, Capital Township, Fancy Creek Township, Springfield Township and Cartwright Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Gardner Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Gardner Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Gardner Township, IL a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Gardner Township grades A− overall, better than 76% of U.S. towns and #274 of 767 in Illinois. It grades A− for health and B for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Gardner Township, IL expensive?
The typical home is worth about $249,000, 16% below the Illinois typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.