Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Harrisburg Township grades low on several counts. Its weakest subject is incomes: the median household income is $46K, and just over a quarter of residents live below the poverty line. Schools are weaker too: its public schools trail 80% of Illinois towns on state tests and graduation. Where it does best is cost of living: a typical home costs about $88K, 1.7 years of the county’s $53K median household income. The overall grade lands at D, 710th of 767 in Illinois. Nationally, it does better than just over a tenth of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Saline County Fair Grounds, at 51 acres. On hazard risk, just 116 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do worse.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenStreetMap.
Where Harrisburg Township beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Harrisburg Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 453 in 1860, a peak of 15,659 in 1930, 8,219 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1876 and 4 maps from 1925 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Harrisburg 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 Harrisburg Township.
Harrisburg Township is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has commutes shorter than most of Illinois, but it has poverty well above the Illinois rate.
In 6 parks and preserves, walkers have 16 miles of trail. The trail network density for Harrisburg Township comes to 0.4 miles per square mile, close to both Illinois’ towns (0.3) and U.S. towns (0.4).
| Harrisburg Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.3% | 3.6% | 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. Harrisburg Memorial Park | 0.8 mi | 33 |
| 2. Harrisburg Youth Soccer Fields | 0.5 mi | 10 |
| 3. Saline County Fair Grounds | — | 51 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The largest public high school is Harrisburg High School, with 491 students. Public schools: Harrisburg CUSD 3. Of its 7 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Side Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–2 | Grades K–2 | 400 | – |
| Harrisburg High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 491 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
The FEMA risk score for Harrisburg Township comes to 77 of 100, where Illinois’ towns sit at 50 of 100 and U.S. towns at 44 of 100. Paid flood insurance claims in the town since 2011: 7. Expected losses in Harrisburg Township break down as 50% from earthquakes and 21% from inland flooding.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 4,496 U.S. towns with household incomes like Harrisburg Township’s, it is healthier than 69%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
For adults in Harrisburg Township, the share who worry about having enough food is 16%. Among adults in the town, 39% have high blood pressure and 17% smoke cigarettes.
| Harrisburg Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Harrisburg Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.6% | 10.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.8% | 6.3% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.3% | 5.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expect July afternoons of 88° and January nights of 25°, with about 7 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 3,774 working residents takes 18.6 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
The top destinations are Harrisburg (25%), Marion (10%) and Eldorado (5%). Among working residents in Harrisburg Township, 27% work locally. Half commute less than 24 miles. The average trip to work here is 19 minutes.
| Harrisburg Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 26% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
1 within 15 miles of the center of Harrisburg Township
About 3 of every 100 Harrisburg Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
Settlement in Illinois, United States
Harrisburg () is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Illinois, United States. It is located about 55 miles (88.51392 km) southwest of Evansville, Indiana, and 111 mi (179 km) southeast of St. Louis, Missouri. Its 2020 population was 8,219, and the surrounding Harrisburg Township had a population of 10,037, including the city residents. Harrisburg is included in the Illinois–Indiana–Kentucky tri-state area and is the principal city in the Harrisburg micropolitan statistical area with a combined population of 24,913. Located at the concurrency of U.S. Route 45, Illinois Route 13, Illinois Route 145, and Illinois Route 34, Harrisburg is known as the "Gateway to the Shawnee National…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Harrisburg Township.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrisburg Township | #710 | D | B+ | — | C− | C |
| Cottage Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Independence Township | — | — | B− | — | C− | C |
| Carrier Mills Township | — | — | A+ | — | D | C+ |
| Raleigh Township | — | — | B− | — | C | C+ |
| Brushy Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Independence Township, Carrier Mills Township and Raleigh Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Harrisburg Township, Independence Township, Carrier Mills Township and Raleigh Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Cottage Township and Brushy Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Harrisburg Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Harrisburg Township grades D overall, better than 11% of U.S. towns and #710 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C for health and C− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the 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+.