Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More weak spots than strong ones. Jacksonville’s overall grade of C− puts it better than 18% of U.S. towns, 664th of 767 in Illinois. Its lowest grade is for schools: its public schools trail 90% of Illinois towns on state tests and graduation. Safety is weaker too — it reports more crime per resident than 72% of U.S. towns, including 33 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Cost of living is its strong suit: a typical home costs about $140K, 2.1 years of the Jacksonville area’s $66K median household income. Walkability is a strength too: it is more walkable than 72% of U.S. towns. This Illinois town is home to Illinois College. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 11 places on the National Register.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results · FBI crime data, 2025.
Where Jacksonville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Joseph Duncan House| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Eisenhower Elem School | K–5 | 349 |
| Washington Elem School | K–5 | 264 |
| Lincoln Elem School | K–5 | 246 |
Census counts: 2,745 in 1850, 17,616 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1865 and 2 maps from 1932 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Jacksonville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Jacksonville, 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 Jacksonville.
Jacksonville trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, has seen reported crime fall beyond ordinary swings and has commutes shorter than most of Illinois.
The largest public high school is Jacksonville High School, with 890 students. Public schools: Jacksonville SD 117. Two of its 17 schools are shown below, with the reason for each.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 680 | C+ |
| Jacksonville High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 890 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $140K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 22 miles. At 2.1 years of the Jacksonville area’s $66K median household income, the typical home (about $140K) costs less against local pay than in 75% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
Jacksonville’s rent at the middle of the market stands at $711 a month, below both Illinois’ towns ($1,129 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 3.1% in value. In Jacksonville, 64% of households own their home.
| Jacksonville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $711 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 64% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Reported crimes fell from 405 to 344 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate for Jacksonville comes to 17.6 per 1,000 residents. The town’s violent crime rate stands at 1.9 per 1,000 residents, against 1 in Illinois’ towns and 1.6 across U.S. towns.
| Jacksonville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 17.6 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.9 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Jacksonville: 37% of adults have high blood pressure. Nearly two in five adults in Jacksonville sleep under 7 hours; 16% smoke cigarettes.
| Jacksonville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| What stands out | Jacksonville | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.9% | 6.3% |
| More smokers | 16.4% | 12.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.9% | 10.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA puts 40% of Jacksonville’s expected hazard losses down to cold waves, and 36% to inland flooding. On expected storm and flood damage, Jacksonville sits above 68% of U.S. communities. The national flood insurance program has paid 33 claims in the town since 1979.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 7,243 working residents takes 16 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
The share of workers in Jacksonville who work remotely from home: 7.7%. The top destinations are Springfield (14%), Beardstown (3%) and Mount Sterling (2%). In Jacksonville, the mean commuting time is 16 minutes.
| Jacksonville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 41% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 7.7% | 11% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Jacksonville’s trail network density comes in at 0.1 miles per square mile. Walkers can cover 0.5 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Nichols Park, at 71 acres.
| Jacksonville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.5% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Nichols Park | 0.1 mi | 71 |
| 2. Future Champions Sport Complex | — | 21 |
| 3. Foreman Grove Park & Jacksonville Disc Golf Course | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Jacksonville
About 9 of every 100 Jacksonville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
10 places in Jacksonville on the National Register of Historic Places.
30 notable people were born in Jacksonville.
City in Illinois, United States
Jacksonville is a city and the county seat of Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 17,616 at the 2020 census, down from 19,446 in 2010. It is home to Illinois College, Illinois School for the Deaf, and the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired, and was formerly home to MacMurray College. Jacksonville is the principal city of the Jacksonville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Morgan and Scott counties.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Jacksonville.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville | #664 | C− | A− | C | D | C |
| South Jacksonville | #466 | B− | A | A− | D | B− |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Jacksonville grades C− overall, better than 18% of U.S. towns and #664 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C for health, C for safety and D for schools. Schools 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−.
30 notable people were born here, including Ken Norton and Cal Strong.
