Amtrak Illini in Gilman, February 1989, 1989
Gilman’s story
169 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,299 in 1880, 1,738 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1989 and 2 maps from 1944 on.
- 1857Gilman is settled
GilmanIL
3.3 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Illinois town.
Photo: Augiejv · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
1,681
2025 Census estimate · −4.1% since 2020
Typical home
$153K
−0.8% in a year
Household income
$71K
median
Median age
41.8
years
Jobs based here
876
Balanced
Is Gilman a good place to live?
Gilman’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living and civic life; its weakest is a C for health. Gilman is more walkable than 69% of U.S. towns. On civic life, just 101 of Illinois’ 1,240 towns do better. Gilman has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Gilman stand out
Where Gilman beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Gilman11.2
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical IL town3.4
Civic lifeA
3.3 times the nonprofits per person
than the typical Illinois town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
Typical home value
Gilman$153K
Illinois$296K
Cost of livingA
2.3 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 91% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
0historic places
History
Settled in 1857
A long history
A history going back 169 years.
How Gilman grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Gilman is from typical.
Cost of livingAOpen →HealthIroquois Memorial Hospital 14.1 miles awayCOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.6 of 20; 4.7% of households have no car; 6.2% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB+Open →SchoolsBeat 68% of Illinois districts on tests and graduationB+Open →Jobs & income$71K median household income; 876 jobs based hereC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksC−Open →History1 notable person born hereB−Open →Civic life11.2 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 41.8; 16% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Gilman: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gilman, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterGilman water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet9 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Gilman’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 hereIroquois County ClerkIroquois County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code6093860938 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 Gilman.
HousingCost of living grade A
A typical Gilman home is worth about $153K
The typical Gilman home is worth about $153,000, down 0.8% in a year, 48% below the Illinois typical home. Gilman’s median rent is $733 a month, below both Illinois’ towns ($1,129 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
$153KZillow home value
| Gilman | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $733 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 79% | 75% | 73% |
Typical home value
Gilman$153K
Illinois$296K
−0.8%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
HealthC
Residents of Gilman are less healthy than 75% of U.S. towns
Gilman beats the Illinois average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 16% of Gilman adults report frequent physical distress, where Illinois’ towns sit at 13% and U.S. towns at 14%. 13% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Gilman.
25%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Gilman | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 7.9% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 18% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
0 better19 too close to call13 worse
| What stands out | Gilman | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.5% | 10.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.6% | 6.3% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.3% | 5.9% |
Iroquois Memorial Hospital
14.1 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Gilman has four seasons and pleasant summers
Gilman has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 17° and about 17 inches of snow falls in a winter.
17″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter20–36°
Spring40–62°
Summer61–84°
Fall43–65°
Oct 16
typical first frost
Apr 24
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
About one in six working residents works right in Gilman
Most working residents leave Gilman for work: only 18% work in town. 6.1% of Gilman residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Onarga (6%), Onarga Township (5%) and Kankakee (5%).
18%work in town
| Gilman | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.1% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $71,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Gilman18%
Onarga6%
Onarga Township5%
Kankakee5%
Watseka3%
24 mi
median commute distance
876
jobs based in Gilman
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 69% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C
Inland flooding leads a high hazard risk in Gilman
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 64% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Gilman since 2008.
64risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
1
paid flood claims since 2008
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Gilman
17pages on Gilman
The big questions
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Gilman; the nearest are
Kankakee Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Kankakee24.7 mi$5,220 in-state tuitionUniversity of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignUniversity or college · Public · Champaign46.8 mi$16,004 in-state tuition
About 5 of every 100 Gilman residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
About Gilman
City in Illinois, United States
Gilman is a city in Douglas Township, Iroquois County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,738 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1857
- Area
- 2.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 650 ft
- ZIP code
- 60938
- Area code
- 815
Questions about Gilman
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Gilman, IL a good place to live?
3.3 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Illinois town.
Is Gilman, IL expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.