Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Gibson City grades C− overall, ranked 644th of 767 in Illinois, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools outperform 80% of the state's. On the other side, the median household income is $43K, and 14% of residents live below the poverty line. 34% of working residents work locally in Gibson City, where Illinois’ towns sit at 8.3% and U.S. towns at 8%. Alfred Phillips House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Among 768 Illinois towns, just 5 have a lower average trip to work than Gibson City.
Where Gibson City beats most towns.
Where Gibson City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Gibson City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,260 in 1880, 3,475 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1903 and 3 maps from 1928 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gibson City, 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 Gibson City.
Gibson City draws workers from Paxton and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has household incomes well below the Illinois norm.
2,547 jobs are based in Gibson City, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 13.4 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
Since 2013, Gibson City has added 517 jobs, to 2,547 in 2023. About one in 3 of Gibson City’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Champaign (6%), Bloomington (6%) and Urbana (4%).
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
65.7% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 47.9% across Illinois.
The typical Gibson City home is worth about $177,000, up 4.1% in a year, 40% below the Illinois typical home. 58% of households own their home in Gibson City.
| Gibson City | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $943 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 3,330 U.S. towns with household incomes like Gibson City’s, it is healthier than 69%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
Gibson City beats the Illinois average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 16% of Gibson City adults report frequent physical distress.
| Gibson City | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 35% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 18% | 19% |
| What stands out | Gibson City | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.3% | 75.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.6% | 6.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Gibson City has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 17° and about 18 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. North Park | — | 4 |
| 2. West Park | — | 4 |
| 3. South Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Gibson City; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Gibson City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
City in Illinois, United States
Gibson City is a city in Ford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,475 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Gibson City grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #644 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C− for health and A− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 2.7 years of the area's median household income ($65,528 across the Champaign-Urbana, IL metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
