Harbach, Gerald, Round Barn · National Register of Historic Places
Harlem Township’s story
Harlem Township in pictures
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Harlem TownshipIL
A town of 1,949. Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 bordering townsMap →
Harbach, Gerald, Round Barn · Photo: IvoShandor · CC BY 2.5
Population
1,949
2025 Census estimate · −2.9% since 2020
Median home value
$173K
Census ACS
Household income
$95K
median
Median age
57.8
years
Jobs based here
322
A commuter town
Is Harlem Township a good place to live?
The best of Harlem Township’s subject grades are an A− for incomes and an A for history; the weakest is a D for walkability. 11% of residents are under 18 in Harlem Township, against 22% in Illinois’ towns and 22% across U.S. towns. On walkability, just 47 of Illinois’ 1,284 towns do worse. Harlem Township's public schools trail 94% of Illinois towns on state tests and graduation. On civic life, just 49 of Illinois’ 1,240 towns do worse. Harlem Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Harlem Township stand out
Where Harlem Township beats most towns.
A shrinking town
Harlem Township has shrunk 14% since 2010
2,275 counted in 2010 and 2,014 in 2020; an estimated 1,949 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Harlem Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Harlem Township is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 4 of 20; 0.2% of households have no car; 0.1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →SchoolsDOpen →Jobs & income322 jobs based hereA−Open →HealthFHN Memorial Hospital 4.2 miles awayCOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 36% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listBOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $173K, 2.7 years of the Freeport area’s $64K median household incomeBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors7 miles of trails; 1% conserved landC−Open →History2 places on the National RegisterAOpen →Civic life0.5 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsD−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Harlem Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Harlem Township, and how to reach them.
PowerCommonwealth Edison17.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterPrairie Path Water Company-Northern HillNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers69% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Harlem Township’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Illinois you can register online until 16 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 28 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereStephenson County ClerkStephenson County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes61032, 61013, 6104861032 82% · 61013 11% · 61048 6%Census 2020
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 Harlem Township.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
Most of Harlem Township’s workers commute out: the town has 0.3 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Harlem Township for work: only 2% work in town. Harlem Township’s average trip to work is 31 minutes, above both the Illinois town median (26 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). The median household income in Harlem Township is $95,000.
2%work in town
| Harlem Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.9% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $95,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.1% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Harlem Township2%
Freeport35%
Rockford9%
Monroe3%
Chicago3%
14 mi
median commute distance
322
jobs based in Harlem Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 6% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthC
Residents of Harlem Township are less healthy than 75% of U.S. towns
Harlem Township beats the Illinois average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 41% of Harlem Township adults have high blood pressure.
25%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Harlem Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 11% | 12% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
1 better18 too close to call13 worse
| What stands out | Harlem Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.1% | 75.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.5% | 6.3% |
FHN Memorial Hospital
4.2 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
In Harlem Township, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Harlem Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 12° and about 35 inches of snow falls in a winter.
35″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter15–32°
Spring37–59°
Summer60–82°
Fall40–61°
Oct 13
typical first frost
Apr 26
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Low risk in Harlem Township, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 64% of U.S. communities.
36risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsC−
Harlem Township has set aside 1.4% of its land for conservation
7.2 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
1.4%conserved
| Harlem Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
1.4%
conserved · 289 of 20,144 acres
7.2 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wes Block Trailhead | 0.1 mi | 14 |
| 2. Freeport Wetland Preserve | — | 3 |
| 3. Damascus Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Harlem Township
18pages on Harlem Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Harlem Township
About 2 of every 100 Harlem Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Harlem Township for work
Where Harlem Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
322jobs based in Harlem Township
2%of working residents work in town
14 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
Landmarks
2 places in Harlem Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
About Harlem Township
Township in Illinois, United States
Harlem Township is located in Stephenson County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 2,275 and it contained 981 housing units. It contains part of the census-designated place of Willow Lake.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 32 sq mi
- Elevation
- 814 ft
Harlem Township’s neighbors
7 towns share a border with Harlem Township.
FreeportFreeport TownshipFlorence TownshipLancaster TownshipErin TownshipBuckeye TownshipWaddams TownshipHarlem Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harlem Township | — | — | B | — | D | C |
| Freeport · Freeport Township | #708 | D | B+ | C+ | D | C− |
| Florence Township | — | — | B− | — | C− | C |
| Lancaster Township | — | — | B+ | — | D | C |
| Erin Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Buckeye Township | — | — | A− | — | A− | C+ |
| Waddams Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Harlem Township, Florence Township, Lancaster Township and Buckeye Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Harlem Township, Florence Township, Lancaster Township and Buckeye Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Erin Township and Waddams Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Freeport Township and Freeport are one community, graded once. Compare Harlem Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Harlem Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Harlem Township, IL a good place to live?
Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Is Harlem Township, IL expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.