Water tower in, 2018
Gays’s story
144 years in pictures
Census counts: 99 in 1890, a peak of 322 in 1910, 218 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 2 maps from 1984 on.
- 1882Gays is settled
GaysIL
A town of 212, settled in 1882.
Photo: SenorAnderson at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
212
2025 Census estimate · −5.4% since 2020
Typical home
$191K
+5.8% in a year
Household income
$52K
median
Median age
54.9
years
Land area
0 sq mi
Is Gays a good place to live?
31% of residents are 65 or older in Gays, above both the Illinois town median (19%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). Only 6 of the 769 Illinois towns we compare have a higher median age than Gays. Gays has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
212 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Gays: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gays, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet8 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Gays’ 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 hereMoultrie County ClerkMoultrie County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code6192861928 100%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 Gays.
Housing
Homes in Gays are worth about $191K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical Gays home is worth about $191,000, up 5.8% in a year, 35% below the Illinois typical home. At $875 a month, Gays’ median rent is below both Illinois’ towns ($1,129 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
$191KZillow home value
| Gays | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $875 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 78% | 75% | 73% |
Typical home value
Gays$191K
Illinois$296K
+5.8%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commute
Most working residents commute out of Gays
Most working residents leave Gays for work: only 0% work in town. The average trip to work in Gays is 33 minutes. The top destinations are Arthur (16%), Mattoon (10%) and Sullivan (7%).
0%work in town
| Gays | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Gays0%
Arthur16%
Mattoon10%
Sullivan7%
Bourbon Township7%
21 mi
median commute distance
0
jobs based in Gays
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Inland flooding leads a high hazard risk in Gays
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 76% of U.S. communities.
76risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesDrought
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Gays has four seasons and pleasant summers
Gays has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 20° and about 14 inches of snow falls in a winter.
14″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter23–38°
Spring43–63°
Summer64–84°
Fall45–66°
Oct 22
typical first frost
Apr 16
typical last frost
+1.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Gays is
Gays beats the Illinois average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 16% of adults report frequent physical distress in Gays.
| Gays | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 35% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 18% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
0 better20 too close to call12 worse
| What stands out | Gays | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.5% | 10.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.2% | 6.3% |
| More smokers | 18.2% | 12.1% |
Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center
11.9 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Gays
16pages on Gays
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Gays
About 5 of every 100 Gays residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Gays for work
Where Gays’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
0jobs based in Gays
0%of working residents work in town
21 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Gays
Village in Illinois
Gays is a village in Moultrie County, Illinois, United States. The population was 218 at the 2020 census, down from 281 in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 753 ft
- ZIP code
- 61928
Questions about Gays
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Gays, IL a good place to live?
Gays has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.