Grafton TownshipIL
A city of 58,301.
Is Grafton Township a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Grafton Township grades A− overall, ranked 260th of 767 in Illinois. The median household earns $131K. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 81% of the country and its schools rank ahead of 78% of Illinois towns. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $362K, 4 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income. Grafton Township’s median household income is $131,000, above both Illinois’ towns ($83,000) and U.S. towns ($80,000). Only 78 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns score lower on history. The biggest place to walk is Pleasant Valley, 580 acres with 1.3 miles of trail.
What makes Grafton Township stand out
Where Grafton Township beats most towns.
94% of working residents leave Grafton Township for work
Where Grafton Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Grafton Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Grafton Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Grafton Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Grafton 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Grafton Township.
Grafton Township has less food insecurity than most of Illinois, sends most of its workers to Chicago and beyond and has household incomes well above the Illinois norm.
7.9% of Grafton Township is conserved land
28 miles of trail in 23 parks and preserves. The trail density in Grafton Township is 0.8 miles per square mile.
| Grafton Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.9% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Deicke Park | 2.7 mi | 90 |
| 2. Pleasant Valley | 1.3 mi | 580 |
| 3. Peter J Exner Marsh Convervation Area | 1.3 mi | 285 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Grafton Township’s grade for schools is an A−
Its public schools are run by the Huntley Community School District 158. Three of its 13 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marlowe Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,215 | B+ |
| Huntley High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,804 | A |
| Leggee Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 877 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
Grafton Township’s grade for health is an A−
Its widest gap with Illinois is food insecurity: 9.7% of its 25,760 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.9% statewide. Against the 4,456 U.S. towns with household incomes like Grafton Township’s, it is less healthy than 53%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
30% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Grafton Township. Grafton Township beats the Illinois average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 14% of adults report frequent mental distress in Grafton Township.
| Grafton Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 37% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Grafton Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.7% | 15.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.3% | 13.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.5% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents commute out of Grafton Township
Grafton Township has 6,280 jobs for its 28,344 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Grafton Township for work: only 6% work in town. Grafton Township’s average trip to work is 31 minutes. Since 2013, Grafton Township has added 1,120 jobs, to 6,280 in 2023.
| Grafton Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 18% | 11% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.4% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.2% | 8.4% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In Grafton Township, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Grafton Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 14° and about 35 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Low risk in Grafton Township, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 64% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Grafton Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Fewer young adults than Illinois overall
The median household earns $130,767, against $83,390 across Illinois, one input to its A for jobs and income.
Adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (23% statewide); children under 18 are 26% of residents (22% statewide). 44% of Grafton Township adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Grafton Township has grown 3.2% since 2020, to 58,301 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Grafton Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 44% | 29% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 26% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 39.7 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.1 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 39.7, men 39.6.
| Grafton Township | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.5% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.5% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.4% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.2% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.5% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.7% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.2% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.4% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.6% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.7% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.6% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.3% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.3% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 28% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.1% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Homes in Grafton Township sell for about $275K
The median property tax bill is $8,637, against $5,298 across Illinois, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Six Flags Great America and 46 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Grafton Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw28 mi Theme parkSix Flags Great America3.0M visitors a year
30 mi Stadium & arenaAllstate Arena
6 mi MuseumIllinois Railway Museum
29 mi MuseumMcDonald's #1 Store Museum
39 mi Zoo & aquariumBrookfield Zoo
38 mi TheatreAlpine Valley Music TheatrePhoto credits
Six Flags Great America: Feather Better, CC BY 4.0 · Allstate Arena: Nkon21, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Illinois Railway Museum: The original uploader was Slambo at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 · McDonald's #1 Store Museum: Bruce Marlin, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Brookfield Zoo: Ronincmc, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alpine Valley Music Theatre: chad davis, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Everything we know about Grafton Township
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Grafton Township
About 6 of every 100 Grafton Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
About Grafton Township
Township in Illinois, United States
Grafton Township is located in McHenry County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 53,137 and it contained 17,922 housing units. Grafton Township includes portions of Huntley, Lake in the Hills, Algonquin, Crystal Lake, and Lakewood.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 36 sq mi
Grafton Township’s neighbors
7 towns share a border with Grafton Township.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grafton Township | #260 | A− | C− | — | A− | A− |
| Rutland Township | #352 | B+ | D | — | A− | A |
| Coral Township | #390 | B | C− | — | A− | A− |
| Dorr Township | #138 | A | C | — | A− | B+ |
| Algonquin | #186 | A− | C− | B+ | B+ | A |
| Huntley | #191 | A− | C− | A | A | A− |
| Crystal Lake | #232 | A− | C | B | B+ | A |
| Algonquin Township | #238 | A− | C− | — | B+ | A |
Grafton Township, Rutland Township, Coral Township, Dorr Township and Algonquin Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Grafton Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Grafton Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Grafton Township, IL a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Grafton Township grades A− overall, better than 77% of U.S. towns and #260 of 767 in Illinois. It grades A− for health and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Grafton Township, IL expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $362,000, 22% above the Illinois typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.