Harlem TownshipIL
A town of 39,287, settled in 1839.
Is Harlem Township a good place to live?
Harlem Township earns a D, 712th among Illinois's 767 graded towns, mostly because of schools. Its public schools trail 92% of Illinois towns on state tests and graduation. One bright spot: it has 52 miles of trail. Harlem Township’s trail density is 1.6 miles per square mile, where Illinois’ towns sit at 0.3 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Rock Cut State Park, at 2,983 acres with 35.9 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Harlem Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 84% of U.S. towns.
What makes Harlem Township stand out
Where Harlem Township beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
52 miles of trails in Harlem Township
17.8% of the town is conserved land, across 26 parks and preserves.
How Harlem Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Harlem Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Harlem Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Harlem 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 Harlem Township.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rock Cut State Park | 35.9 mi | 2,983 |
| 2. Kieselburg Forest Preserve | 3.1 mi | 211 |
| 3. Willow Creek Natural Area | 3.1 mi | 142 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Harlem Township earns a D for schools
Its public schools are run by the Harlem UD 122 school district. Two of its 14 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donald C Parker Early Educ CenterLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–K | Grades PK–K | 571 | – |
| Harlem High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,884 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
Harlem Township has 0.5 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Harlem Township for work: only 10% work in town. At 23 minutes, Harlem Township’s average trip to work is against 26 minutes in Illinois’ towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. The top destinations are Rockford (34%), Loves Park (11%) and Machesney Park (6%).
| Harlem Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 9.3% | 11% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.9% | 8.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Harlem Township
Harlem Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Harlem Township’s July high is 83°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Harlem Township faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 66% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 488 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Harlem Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
On CDC estimates, Harlem Township is healthier than 55% of U.S. towns
Harlem Township beats the Illinois average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 39% of adults have obesity in Harlem Township.
| Harlem Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 35% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Harlem Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.7% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.8% | 13.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.1% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Illinois Railway Museum and 11 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Harlem Township. Close and well known come first.
25 mi MuseumIllinois Railway Museum
9 mi Stadium & arenaBMO Center
38 mi TheatreAlpine Valley Music Theatre
6 mi GardenAnderson Japanese Gardens
32 mi TheatreEgyptian Theatre, DeKalb
27 mi TheatreWoodstock Opera HousePhoto credits
Illinois Railway Museum: The original uploader was Slambo at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 · BMO Center: SimLibrarian, CC0 · Alpine Valley Music Theatre: chad davis, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Anderson Japanese Gardens: M. Readey, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Egyptian Theatre, DeKalb: Andy McMurray, CC BY 2.5 · Woodstock Opera House: HrAtsuo, CC0
Everything we know about Harlem Township
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Harlem Township
About 5 of every 100 Harlem Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
90% of working residents leave Harlem Township for work
Where Harlem Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Harlem Township
Unincorporated community in Illinois, United States
Harlem is an unincorporated community in Winnebago County, in the U.S. state of Illinois. It was incorporated into Loves Park in the 1980s. Harlem is the closest city to Rock Cut State Park.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Elevation
- 755 ft
Harlem Township’s neighbors
8 towns share a border with Harlem Township.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harlem Township | #712 | D | C+ | — | D | B− |
| Roscoe Township | #315 | B+ | C− | — | A | B+ |
| Machesney Park | #737 | D | C+ | C+ | D | C+ |
| Owen Township | #762 | D− | C | — | D | D− |
| Rockford · Rockford Township | #767 | D− | C+ | D− | D | D |
| Caledonia Township | #621 | C | C− | — | C | A− |
| Loves Park | #742 | D | C+ | C+ | D | C |
| Roscoe | #314 | B+ | C− | B+ | A | A− |
Harlem Township, Roscoe Township, Owen Township and Caledonia Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Rockford Township and Rockford 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?
Harlem Township grades D overall, better than 11% of U.S. towns and #712 of 767 in Illinois. It grades B− for health and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
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 C+.