Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hamel Township's standout: the median household earns $125K. Overall it grades A−, 211th of 767 graded towns in Illinois. It is healthier than 79% of U.S. towns and its public schools beat 78% of Illinois towns on state tests and graduation. Only 68 of Illinois’ 1,284 towns score lower on walkability.
Where Hamel Township beats most towns.
Where Hamel 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 Hamel Township is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for jobs and income (better than 96% of comparable towns) to D for walkability (better than 9%), so the A− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Its founding year, 1818, comes before those of 96% of the Illinois towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 362 in 1960, 929 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2009 and 5 maps from 1927 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hamel 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 Hamel Township.
Hamel Township has less no health insurance than most of Illinois and has added a third more jobs in ten years.
Its widest gap with Illinois is no health insurance: 6.1% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 9.9% statewide. Against the 5,098 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hamel Township’s, it is less healthy than 52%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
20% of adults binge drink in Hamel Township, above both Illinois’ towns (18%) and U.S. towns (16%). 19% of adults get no exercise outside work in Hamel Township. Hamel Township beats the Illinois average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Hamel Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 23% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.3% | 11% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Hamel Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.1% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.5% | 15.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by Edwardsville CUSD 7. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamel Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 126 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
Jobs based here grew from 306 in 2013 to 416.
Most working residents leave Hamel Township for work: only 4% work in town. 3.7% of residents live below the poverty line in Hamel Township, against 8.4% in Illinois’ towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Since 2013, Hamel Township has added 110 jobs, to 416 in 2023.
| Hamel Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $125,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.7% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.8% | 8.4% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Hamel Township has chilly winters and warm summers. The July high in Hamel Township is 88°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (23% statewide); children under 18 are 27% of residents (22% statewide). 48% of Hamel Township adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Hamel Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 48% | 29% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 19% | 18% |
54% women, 46% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.6 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Hamel Township | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.8% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.6% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.9% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.9% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.8% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.7% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.6% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.4% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.3% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1.9% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 20.4% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.7% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.2% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.5% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 21.3% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,800, single groups can be off by several points
4.3 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Hamel Township’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Hamel Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.4% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hamel Community Park | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 56% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hamel Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw19 mi State parkCahokia
Big draw24 mi Stadium & arenaThe Dome at America's Center
25 mi Stadium & arenaBusch Stadium
18 mi LandmarkMonks Mound
24 mi National ParkGateway Arch National Park2.2M visitors a year
18 mi Ancient sitePiasaCahokia: Thank You (24 Millions ) views, CC BY 2.0 · The Dome at America's Center: Paul Sableman, CC BY 2.0 · Busch Stadium: Lee Ann Ratledge, CC BY 4.0 · Monks Mound: Skubasteve834, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gateway Arch National Park: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Piasa: Burfalcy, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Hamel Township
About 3 of every 100 Hamel Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
Village in Illinois, United States
Hamel is a village in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 929 at the 2020 census, up from 816 in 2010. It is a part of the Illinois Metro East portion of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area. The village is located along Interstate 55 (I-55), and Illinois Routes 140 and 157.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Hamel Township.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamel Township | #211 | A− | B− | — | A− | A− |
| Omphghent Township | — | — | B+ | — | A− | B |
| Fort Russell Township | #306 | B+ | B− | — | A− | A− |
| Pin Oak Township | #302 | B+ | C− | — | A− | A− |
| Alhambra Township | — | — | A− | — | A− | B− |
Omphghent Township and Alhambra Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Hamel Township, Omphghent Township, Fort Russell Township, Pin Oak Township and Alhambra Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Hamel Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Hamel Township grades A− overall, better than 82% of U.S. towns and #211 of 767 in Illinois. It grades A− for health and A− for schools. Walkability 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−.
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