Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Havana gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $91K for a typical one, or 1.4 years of the county’s $63K median household income. It grades C− overall, 651st of 767 graded towns in Illinois. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $41K, and 24% of residents live below the poverty line, and it reports more crime per resident than 89% of U.S. towns, including 35 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns. Havana’s violent offense rate is 12.5 per 1,000 residents, above both Illinois’ towns (1) and U.S. towns (1.6). On health, just 126 of Illinois’ 1,284 towns do worse. Havana's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 99% of U.S. towns.
Where Havana beats most towns.
Havana Water Tower3,301 counted in 2010 and 2,963 in 2020; an estimated 2,799 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 5.4% since 2020, after 10.2% 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 Havana is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 462 in 1850, a peak of 4,379 in 1950, 2,963 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1890 and 2 maps from 1925 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Havana, 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 Havana.
Havana trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at 5 times the Illinois rate.
Homes are within reach (about $91K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 29 miles. At 1.4 years of the county’s $63K median household income, the typical home (about $91K) costs less against local pay than in 95% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
Home values are up 14% over the year to September 2026. The typical Havana home is worth about $91,000, up 13.6% in a year, 69% below the Illinois typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Havana’s density of trails stands at 0.6 miles per square mile. In 4 parks and preserves, walkers have 1.8 miles of trail. The biggest park or preserve is Veterans Park, at 23 acres.
| Havana | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.4% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Veterans Park | 0.6 mi | 23 |
| 2. Riverfront Park | 0.2 mi | 5 |
| 3. Rockwell Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Violent crime runs at 12.5 per 1,000 residents, 5 times the Illinois rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on that grade. Reported crimes rose from 54 to 70 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 2,738 U.S. towns with household incomes like Havana’s, it is healthier than 73%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
16% of Havana adults worry about having enough food. Against the Illinois average, Havana comes out ahead on 1 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 12. Among adults in the town, 40% have high blood pressure and 17% smoke cigarettes.
| Havana | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 35% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Havana | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.4% | 75.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.6% | 6.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Households in Havana have drawn federal disaster aid in 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2013. On expected storm and flood damage, Havana sits above 77% of U.S. communities. Paid flood insurance claims in the town since 1993: 56. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 58% come from inland flooding and 15% from cold waves.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 18° and about 28 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Employers in Havana shed 228 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 1,168. In Havana, nearly a third of working residents work locally. The top destinations are Springfield (9%), Jacksonville (3%) and Canton (3%).
| Havana | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 32% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $41,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Havana; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Havana residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
2 places in Havana on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Havana.
City in Illinois, United States
Havana is a city and the county seat of Mason County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,963 at the 2020 census, a decline from the figure of 3,301 tabulated in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Havana.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Havana | #651 | C− | A− | D | B | C− |
| Havana Township | #516 | C+ | A− | — | B | C |
| Isabel Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Waterford Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Havana Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Isabel Township and Waterford Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Havana with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Havana grades C− overall, better than 20% of U.S. towns and #651 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C− for health, D for safety and B 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 A−.
3 notable people were born here, including Loren E. Wheeler and Fred Beck.
