Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 9,266, settled in 1841.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Hampshire grades A− overall, ranked 268th of 767 in Illinois. Crime is low: it reports less per resident than 90% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $95K. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $415K, 4.6 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income. Hampshire’s median rent is $2,589 a month, above both the Illinois town median ($1,128 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Hampshire's public schools beat 70% of Illinois towns on state tests and graduation. Hampshire's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 82% of U.S. towns.
Where Hampshire beats most towns.
5,563 counted in 2010 and 7,667 in 2020; an estimated 9,266 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 21% since 2020, after 37.8% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Hampshire is from typical.
Its grades run from A for safety (better than 90% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 4%), so the A− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 483 in 1880, 7,667 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2016 and 2 maps from 1938 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hampshire. Close and well known come first.
Big draw34 mi Theme parkSix Flags Great America3.0M visitors a year
33 mi Stadium & arenaAllstate Arena
8 mi MuseumIllinois Railway Museum
32 mi MuseumMcDonald's #1 Store Museum
40 mi Zoo & aquariumBrookfield Zoo
31 mi MuseumMorton ArboretumSix 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 · Morton Arboretum: Bruce Marlin, CC BY-SA 2.5
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hampshire, 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 Hampshire.
Hampshire has added a third more jobs in ten years, but it has seen reported crime rise by about half.
Reported crimes rose from 21 to 49 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 7 reported in 2025, 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Hampshire home is worth about $415,000, up 4.3% in a year, 40% above the Illinois typical home. 83% of households own their home in Hampshire.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Hampshire | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.7% | 3.7% | 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. Ralph Seyller Memorial Park | 0.5 mi | 18 |
| 2. Dorothy J. Schmidt Memorial Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Hampshire beats the Illinois average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 20% of Hampshire adults binge drink.
| Hampshire | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 35% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 78% | 79% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.4% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Hampshire | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.6% | 3.3% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.7% | 15.9% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 71.8% | 75.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here grew from 1,436 in 2013 to 1,949.
Most working residents leave Hampshire for work: only 5% work in town. Jobs based in Hampshire grew to 1,949 in 2023, 513 more than in 2013. Hampshire’s average trip to work is 28 minutes.
| Hampshire | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $95,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 5% | 8.4% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.8% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 76% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hampshire.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Hampshire has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 14° and about 32 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 10% of residents (17% statewide). Hampshire has grown 21% since 2020, to 9,266 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. The median age in Hampshire is 36.3 years.
| Hampshire | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 10% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 36.3 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 25% | 22% | 22% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.6 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Hampshire | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.7% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.7% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.4% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.9% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 17.2% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 16.5% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 7.5% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.2% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 2.9% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.8% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.5% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.3% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.6% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.2% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 3.4% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
3 within 15 miles of the center of Hampshire
About 8 of every 100 Hampshire residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
Where Hampshire’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Village in Illinois, United States
Hampshire is a village in Kane and McHenry counties, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 7,667.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Hampshire.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hampshire · Hampshire Township | #268 | A− | D− | A | B+ | A− |
| Rutland Township | #352 | B+ | D | — | A− | A |
| Pingree Grove | #103 | A | D | A+ | B+ | A |
| Coral Township | #390 | B | C− | — | A− | A− |
Rutland Township and Coral Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Hampshire Township and Hampshire are one community, graded once. Compare Hampshire with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Hampshire grades A− overall, better than 76% of U.S. towns and #268 of 767 in Illinois. It grades A− for health, A for safety and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
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