Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hudson’s best subject grades are an A+ for safety and an A for incomes and health; its weakest is a D for walkability. On safety, just 12 of Illinois’ 405 towns do better. Hudson's schools outperform 68% of the state's. On incomes, just 92 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do better. Only 119 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns score lower on the outdoors. Hubbard House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Hudson's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 80% of U.S. towns. Hudson has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Hudson beats most towns.
Where Hudson’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 Hudson is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 276 in 1880, 1,753 in 2020. The archive holds 4 maps from 1926 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hudson, 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 Hudson.
At 1.1 per 1,000 residents, Hudson’s property crime rate is against 7.9 in Illinois’ towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns. The violent crime rate in Hudson is 0 per 1,000 residents.
| Hudson | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Hudson beats the Illinois average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 17% of Hudson adults get no exercise outside work, where Illinois’ towns sit at 23% and U.S. towns at 25%. 20% of adults binge drink in Hudson.
| Hudson | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 23% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 18% | 19% |
| What stands out | Hudson | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.3% | 15.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.2% | 9.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.7% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Hudson for work: only 1% work in town. 2.3% of Hudson residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Hudson fell to 127 in 2023, 21 fewer than in 2013.
| Hudson | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.3% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $110,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.9% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Work from home | 16% | 11% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Hudson has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 16° and about 20 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Children under 18 are 30% of residents (22% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (23% statewide). 44% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 38% across Illinois.
| Hudson | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 30% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 44% | 29% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 37.9 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.8 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Hudson | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 19.2% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.8% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.1% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.8% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.6% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.1% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.8% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.6% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.7% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.7% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.6% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.9% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.4% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 17.7% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,800, single groups can be off by several points
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 64% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hudson.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Hudson home is worth about $312,000, up 2.7% in a year, 5% above the Illinois typical home.
| Hudson | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 97% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,063 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Waller Park | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hudson. Close and well known come first.
7 mi GardenFell Arboretum9 mi MuseumPrairie Aviation Museum
17 mi Theme parkSpider Hill
23 mi MuseumAdlai E. Stevenson I HouseFell Arboretum: Willjay, CC BY 3.0 · Spider Hill: NatFee, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Adlai E. Stevenson I House: Nyttend, Public domain
3 within 15 miles of the center of Hudson
About 5 of every 100 Hudson residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
Village in Illinois, United States
Hudson is a village in McLean County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,753 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Bloomington–Normal Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
2 notable people were born here, including Ben Corbett and Melville Elijah Stone.
