Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Harvard grades C+ overall, 533rd of 767 graded towns in Illinois, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 91% of U.S. towns and natural-hazard risk is low. On the other side, its schools rank behind 93% of the state's. 33% of residents are under 18 in Harvard, against 22% in Illinois’ towns and 22% across U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Milky Way Park, at 47 acres.
Where Harvard beats most towns.
Where Harvard’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 Harvard is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,120 in 1870, 9,469 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1985 and 2 maps from 1932 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Harvard, 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 Harvard.
Harvard carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Illinois (mostly inland flooding), is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 98% of Illinois towns, with expected losses of about $138 per resident a year; that rating is what its A for hazard risk is built on.
Harvard’s FEMA risk score is 10 of 100. Since 1999, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Harvard.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Harvard for work: only 14% work in town. 5.1% of workers work from home in Harvard. The top destinations are Chicago (8%), Woodstock (6%) and McHenry (3%).
| Harvard | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 5.1% | 11% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Harvard | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.1% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Milky Way Park | 0.4 mi | 47 |
| 2. Northfield Avenue Park | 0.3 mi | 8 |
| 3. Lions Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 96 to 60 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 8 reported in 2025, 0.9 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Harvard is 5.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Harvard | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.5 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Harvard has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 13° and about 32 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Harvard home is worth about $280,000, up 3.5% in a year, 6% below the Illinois typical home. 60% of Harvard households own their home.
| Harvard | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,183 a month | $1,128 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 10,291 U.S. towns with household incomes like Harvard’s, it is healthier than 61%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Harvard beats the Illinois average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12.
| Harvard | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 7.9% | 8.1% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 78% | 79% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 33% | 33% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 23% | 25% |
| What stands out | Harvard | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.1% | 7.6% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.9% | 3.3% |
| More uninsured adults | 18.1% | 9.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Harvard; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Harvard residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
10 notable people were born in Harvard.
City in Illinois, United States
Harvard is a city located in McHenry County, Illinois. The population was 9,469 at the 2020 census. The city is 63 miles from the Chicago Loop and it is the last stop on the Union Pacific Northwest Line.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Harvard.
Lawrence isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Harvard with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Harvard grades C+ overall, better than 40% of U.S. towns and #533 of 767 in Illinois. It grades B− for health, B+ for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.1 years of the area's median household income ($90,887 across the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN 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−.
10 notable people were born here, including John H. Manley and Elbridge Ayer Burbank.