Emord Memorial Park front, 2021
Gifford’s story
150 years in pictures
Census counts: 124 in 1880, 911 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 2021 and 4 maps from 1924 on.
- 1876Gifford is settled
GiffordIL
Population
885
2025 Census estimate · −2.3% since 2020
Typical home
$226K
+9.2% in a year
Household income
$77K
median
Median age
54.4
years
Jobs based here
255
A commuter town
Is Gifford a good place to live?
34% of residents are 65 or older in Gifford, above both the Illinois town median (19%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). Among 749 Illinois towns, just 3 have a lower rent at the middle of the market than Gifford. Gifford has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Gifford stand out
Where Gifford beats most towns.
Small town
885 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 Gifford: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gifford, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterGifford water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet8 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Gifford’s trash rules yet
SchoolsGifford Community Consolidated School District 188Rantoul Township High School District 1932 districts serve Gifford; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
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 hereChampaign County ClerkChampaign County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code6184761847 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 Gifford.
Work & commute
Gifford has 0.7 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
For half of commuters, work is under 18 miles away. Gifford: 4% of working residents work locally, below both Illinois’ towns (8.3%) and U.S. towns (8%). The top destinations are Champaign (25%), Urbana (16%) and Rantoul (12%).
4%work in town
| Gifford | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 4% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.1% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Gifford4%
Champaign25%
Urbana16%
Rantoul12%
Chicago3%
18 mi
median commute distance
255
jobs based in Gifford
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Housing
A home in Gifford is worth about $226K, on Zillow’s estimate
For households in Gifford, the share who are owner-occupiers is 95%. Home values are up 9.2% over the year to September 2026.
$226KZillow home value
Typical home value
Gifford$226K
Illinois$296K
+9.2%
value change, 1 year
2
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Gifford: four seasons and pleasant summers
A winter brings about 18 inches of snow, with January nights at 17° and July afternoons at 85°.
18″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter20–37°
Spring40–63°
Summer62–84°
Fall43–65°
Oct 18
typical first frost
Apr 21
typical last frost
+1.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Safety
Crime reported in Gifford
In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown. No violent or property crimes were reported in Gifford in 2025.
Gifford is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
0
violent crimes reported in 2025
0
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Health
How healthy Gifford is
32% of adults in Gifford have obesity; 37% have high blood pressure. The town does better than the Illinois average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 6. The share of adults in Gifford who sleep under 7 hours: 31%.
| Gifford | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 35% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 37% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 35% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
6 better20 too close to call6 worse
| What stands out | Gifford | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9% | 13.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.8% | 9.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.3% | 7.6% |
Carle Foundation Hospital
16.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazards
Natural hazards: moderate risk in Gifford, mostly inland flooding
Compared with 57% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Gifford is lower. Expected losses in Gifford break down as 41% from inland flooding and 17% from cold waves. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Gifford after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2013.
43risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesDrought
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 282 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Roessler Memorial Park | — | 5 |
| 2. Emord Memorial Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 22 attractions →American Football House and 12 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gifford. Close and well known come first.
17 mi LandmarkAmerican Football House
18 mi Stadium & arenaGies Memorial Stadium
7 mi MuseumOctave Chanute Aerospace Museum
17 mi TheatreKrannert Center for the Performing Arts
40 mi City parkRobert Allerton Park
33 mi MuseumMonticello Railway MuseumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
American Football House: BanjoZebra, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gies Memorial Stadium: T.J. Blakeman, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Krannert Center for the Performing Arts: Aries Liang, Public domain · Robert Allerton Park: D. Finnigan, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Monticello Railway Museum: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0
.jpg){kind=link}
.JPG){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Gifford
19pages on Gifford
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Gifford; the nearest are
University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignUniversity or college · Public · Champaign17.8 mi$16,004 in-state tuitionParkland CollegeCommunity college · Public · Champaign18.7 mi$4,284 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Gifford residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Gifford for work
Where Gifford’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
255jobs based in Gifford
4%of working residents work in town
18 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Gifford
Village in Illinois, United States
Gifford is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 911 at the 2020 Census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 799 ft
- ZIP code
- 61847
Questions about Gifford
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Gifford, IL a good place to live?
Gifford has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.