GilsonIL
Today 120 people live in this town, first settled in 1857.
Is Gilson a good place to live?
Gilson’s midpoint age is 63 years, against 40.7 years in Illinois’ towns and 40.5 years across U.S. towns. Gilson has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
120 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Gilson: who provides what
Gilson is unincorporated, so Knox County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Gilson.
Gilson has 0.1 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work
In Gilson, just over one in ten residents live below the poverty line. Half commute less than 34 miles. The top destinations are Peoria (16%), Galesburg (10%) and Mossville (4%).
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Gilson has four seasons and pleasant summers
Expect July afternoons of 85° and January nights of 16°, with about 25 inches of snow a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Gilson is
Gilson: 32% of adults feel lonely. CDC measures, 32 in all: Gilson beats Illinois on 4 and trails on 5. Two figures for adults in the town: 16% smoke cigarettes, 77% had a checkup this year.
| Gilson | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 77% | 78% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Gilson | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.3% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.6% | 15.9% |
| More smokers | 16.4% | 12.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The biggest natural risk in Gilson is inland flooding, at a high overall level
FEMA puts a third of Gilson’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 16% to strong winds. The natural-hazard score from FEMA locally is 60 of 100. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 2013.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Everything we know about Gilson
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Gilson
About 0 of every 100 Gilson residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
100% of working residents leave Gilson for work
Where Gilson’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Questions about Gilson
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Gilson, IL a good place to live?
Gilson has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.