Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,784. A regional job hub with 1,555 jobs.
Goose Lake Township’s best subject grades are an A+ for incomes and an A for the outdoors; its weakest is a D− for walkability. Only 18 of Illinois’ 1,284 towns score lower on walkability. Goose Lake Township's public schools beat 75% of Illinois towns on state tests and graduation. On incomes, just 67 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do better. 21% of the land in Goose Lake Township is conserved, where Illinois’ towns sit at 3.7% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area, at 2,532 acres with 13.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. On the outdoors, just 97 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do better. Goose Lake Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Goose Lake Township beats most towns.
Where Goose Lake Township’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 Goose Lake Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,898 in 2000, 1,755 in 2020. The archive holds 6 maps from 1892 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Goose Lake Township, 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 Goose Lake Township.
Most working residents leave Goose Lake Township for work: only 3% work in town. At 34 minutes, Goose Lake Township’s average trip to work is above both Illinois’ towns (26 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Goose Lake Township’s median household income is $117,000.
| Goose Lake Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $117,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.2% | 8.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
23 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The trail density in Goose Lake Township is 0.8 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area | 13.1 mi | 2,532 |
| 2. Heidecke Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area | 2.8 mi | 2,086 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Goose Lake Township 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 higher than in 66% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 105 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Goose Lake Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Goose Lake Township beats the Illinois average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 19% of adults binge drink in Goose Lake Township.
| Goose Lake Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 35% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 22% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 33% | 33% |
| What stands out | Goose Lake Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.9% | 15.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.8% | 13.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.1% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Goose Lake Township. Close and well known come first.
38 mi Stadium & arenaSeatGeek Stadium
36 mi State parkStarved Rock State Park
10 mi National forestMidewin National Tallgrass Prairie
33 mi MuseumMorton Arboretum
31 mi LandmarkSite A / Plot M Disposal SiteSeatGeek Stadium: Khvmty, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Starved Rock State Park: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie: Alanscottwalker, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Morton Arboretum: Bruce Marlin, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Site A / Plot M Disposal Site: Eric Schmuttenmaer, CC BY-SA 2.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Goose Lake Township
About 2 of every 100 Goose Lake Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
2 places in Goose Lake Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
Township in Illinois, United States
Goose Lake Township is one of seventeen townships in Grundy County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,755 and it contained 811 housing units.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Goose Lake Township.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goose Lake Township | — | — | C+ | — | A− | B |
| Wauponsee Township | — | — | B+ | — | C+ | B |
| Aux Sable Township | #437 | B | C− | — | B+ | B+ |
| Felix Township | #262 | A− | B+ | — | A | B |
| Morris Township | #468 | B− | B− | — | C+ | B |
| Wilmington Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Goose Lake Township and Wauponsee Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Goose Lake Township, Wauponsee Township, Aux Sable Township, Felix Township and Morris Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Wilmington Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Goose Lake Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
