Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to Lewis and Clark Community College.
Godfrey grades C+ overall, 530th among Illinois's 767 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. On the other side, its public schools trail 89% of Illinois towns on state tests and graduation. It also does better than most on incomes: the median household earns $95K. A typical home there costs about $220K, 2.7 years of the St. Louis metro’s $80K median household income. Godfrey is home to Lewis and Clark Community College. 26% of residents are 65 or older in Godfrey, above both the Illinois town median (19%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). Mississippi Sanctuary/Olin Nature Preserve, at 439 acres with 8.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Godfrey beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Godfrey is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 85 in 1880, 17,825 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1933 and 7 maps from 1927 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Godfrey, 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 Godfrey.
Its public schools are run by Alton CUSD 11. Two of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 2–5 | Grades 2–5 | 549 | C− |
| Alton High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,823 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
13 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
| Godfrey | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8.3% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mississippi Sanctuary/Olin Nature Preserve | 8.6 mi | 439 |
| 2. Glazebrook Park | 0.4 mi | 43 |
| 3. Godfrey Ball Park | 0.3 mi | 59 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
22% of working residents cross a state line to work, St. Louis among the top destinations.
Most working residents leave Godfrey for work: only 7% work in town. 16% of workers work from home in Godfrey. The top destinations are Alton (18%), St.
| Godfrey | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 16% | 11% | 11% |
| Median household income | $95,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.4% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Typical home values rose 5.7% in the year to September 2026. 84% of Godfrey households own their home.
| Godfrey | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 84% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,153 a month | $1,128 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Godfrey beats the Illinois average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6.
| Godfrey | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 80% | 78% | 79% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 23% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 17% | 17% |
| What stands out | Godfrey | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.1% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11% | 15.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.7% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
People 65 and older are 26% of residents (17% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (23% statewide). Godfrey’s median age is 48.4 years. 32% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 38% across Illinois.
| Godfrey | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 48.4 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 32% | 29% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.2 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Godfrey | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.8% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.1% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.6% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.2% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.7% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.7% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.2% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.6% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.9% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.8% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.3% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.1% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Godfrey has chilly winters and warm summers. The July high in Godfrey is 88°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 27 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Godfrey.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Godfrey. Close and well known come first.
Big draw22 mi State parkCahokia
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaThe Dome at America's Center
4 mi Ancient sitePiasa
23 mi Stadium & arenaBusch Stadium
22 mi National ParkGateway Arch National Park2.2M visitors a year
22 mi LandmarkMonks MoundCahokia: Thank You (24 Millions ) views, CC BY 2.0 · The Dome at America's Center: Paul Sableman, CC BY 2.0 · Piasa: Burfalcy, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Busch Stadium: Lee Ann Ratledge, CC BY 4.0 · Gateway Arch National Park: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Monks Mound: Skubasteve834, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Godfrey
About 5 of every 100 Godfrey residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
Where Godfrey’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 notable people were born in Godfrey.
Village in Illinois, United States
Godfrey is a village in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 17,825 at the 2020 census. Godfrey is located within the River Bend portion of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Godfrey.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Godfrey | #530 | C+ | B | — | D | B+ |
| Alton · Alton Township | #734 | D | B+ | D | D | D |
| Foster Township | #752 | D | C | — | D | C |
| Elsah Township | — | — | A | — | B | B+ |
| Piasa Township | #318 | B+ | A− | — | B | B |
Elsah Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Godfrey, Foster Township, Elsah Township and Piasa Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Alton Township and Alton are one community, graded once. Compare Godfrey with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Godfrey grades C+ overall, better than 41% of U.S. towns and #530 of 767 in Illinois. It grades B+ for health and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Louis, MO-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 B.
3 notable people were born here, including Brent Hawkins and Bryan Hudson.
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