Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
30% of residents live below the poverty line in Grand Tower, above both Illinois’ towns (8.4%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Of the 769 Illinois towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Grand Tower. The biggest park or preserve is Devil's Backbone Park, at 22 acres. Grand Tower has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Grand Tower beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 966 in 1880, 479 in 2020. The archive holds 14 old photos and papers going back to 1927 and 2 maps from 1947 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Grand Tower, 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 Grand Tower.
Expected losses in Grand Tower break down as 40% from inland flooding and 31% from earthquakes. This Illinois town has had 5 paid flood insurance claims since 1979. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Grand Tower after 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2019.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Grand Tower’s average commute stands at 34 minutes, against 26 minutes in Illinois’ towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. For most workers, Grand Tower is a place to come home to: only 2% work in town. In Grand Tower, the income of the median household is $47,000. Half the trips to work are shorter than 18 miles.
| Grand Tower | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.2% | 8.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expect chilly winters and warm summers in Grand Tower. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 24° and about 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The share of adults in Grand Tower who say their health is fair or poor: 24%. Two figures for adults here: 19% smoke cigarettes, 43% have obesity.
| Grand Tower | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 37% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Grand Tower | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 11.3% | 6.3% |
| More smokers | 19.2% | 12.1% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.8% | 5.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Across 1 park or preserve: 0.6 miles of trail. Grand Tower’s density of trails comes in at 0.5 miles per square mile.
| Grand Tower | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.8% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Devil's Backbone Park | 0.1 mi | 22 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
58% of Grand Tower households own their home. Grand Tower’s typical rent stands at $682 a month.
| Grand Tower | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $682 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Grand Tower; the nearest are
About 8 of every 100 Grand Tower residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
Where Grand Tower’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Illinois, United States
Grand Tower is a city in Jackson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 479 at the 2020 census. The town gets its name from Tower Rock, a landmark island in the Mississippi River.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Grand Tower has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
