Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Joliet Township earns a D, 722nd among Illinois's 767 graded towns, mostly because of health and schools. Residents are less healthy than 86% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its schools rank behind 84% of the state's. One bright spot: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 82% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 1 place on the National Register. On history, just 42 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do better. 18% of residents live below the poverty line in Joliet Township, against 8.4% in Illinois’ towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Joliet Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 94% of U.S. towns.
Where Joliet Township beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Joliet Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,558 in 1840, 150,362 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1863 and 6 maps from 1892 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Joliet 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 Joliet Township.
Joliet Township trades workers with Joliet and other neighbors, but it trails New Lenox Township and its other neighbors on schools.
34% of adults get no exercise outside work in Joliet Township. Joliet Township beats the Illinois average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 42% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Joliet Township.
| Joliet Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 23% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 18% | 19% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Joliet Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6% | 7.6% |
| More uninsured adults | 18.2% | 9.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Each of its 5 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its C−, New Lenox Township highest at A−.
Its public schools are run by the Joliet PSD 86 school district. Three of its 43 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hufford Junior High SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,072 | C |
| Joliet West High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 3,451 | B− |
| Union Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 143 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
Joliet Township has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 16° and about 17 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Joliet Township has about as many jobs (33,713) as working residents, but only 5,418 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Joliet Township for work: only 15% work in town. 5.2% of Joliet Township workers work from home. The top destinations are Joliet (20%), Chicago (10%) and Bolingbrook (5%).
| Joliet Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 5.2% | 11% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
5.4 miles of trail in 24 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Joliet Iron Works Historic Site, at 46 acres.
| Joliet Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.3% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Nowell Park | 0.5 mi | 25 |
| 2. Forest Park | 0.4 mi | 12 |
| 3. Garnsey Park | 0.4 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 635 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Joliet Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Joliet Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaSoldier Field
Big draw38 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw32 mi MuseumBarack Obama Presidential Center
Big draw32 mi Stadium & arenaRate Field
Big draw33 mi Stadium & arenaUnited Center
Big draw35 mi MuseumArt Institute of Chicago1.5M visitors a yearSoldier Field: Photo by Joon Han Contact: [email protected], CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wrigley Field: Ryan Dickey, CC BY 2.0 · Barack Obama Presidential Center: AlphaBeta135, CC0 · Rate Field: User Enoch Lai on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · United Center: User:JeremyA, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Art Institute of Chicago: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Joliet Township
About 5 of every 100 Joliet Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
City in Illinois, United States
Joliet ( JOH-lee-et, -ET) is a city in Will and Kendall counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Chicago, it is the county seat of Will County. Originally settled in 1852 as a steel mill town on the Des Plaines River, Joliet later became known for being the first major city outside of Chicago on U.S. Route 66. It is home to Old Joliet Prison, a historic decommissioned correctional facility that was the largest in the state at the time of its construction. The prison has been featured prominently in several films and television shows, including the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. As of the 2020 census, the population was 150,362, making it the third-most p…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Joliet Township.
All 5 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Fairmont (C+) is closest.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joliet Township | #722 | D | C+ | — | C− | D |
| Lockport Township | #412 | B | C− | — | B | B+ |
| Troy Township | #398 | B | C | — | B− | B+ |
| Joliet | #667 | C− | C+ | C | C− | C+ |
| Jackson Township | #518 | C+ | C+ | — | C | B− |
| Fairmont | #547 | C+ | B− | — | B+ | D |
| New Lenox Township | #149 | A | C | — | A− | A− |
Joliet Township, Lockport Township, Troy Township, Jackson Township, Fairmont and New Lenox Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Joliet Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Joliet Township grades D overall, better than 10% of U.S. towns and #722 of 767 in Illinois. It grades D for health and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
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