JoyIL
A town of 357, founded in 1869.
Is Joy a good place to live?
Joy’s average trip to work is 38 minutes, against 26 minutes in Illinois’ towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Among 769 Illinois towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Joy. Joy has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
357 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Joy: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Joy, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Joy.
Joy’s typical home value is about $173K
The typical Joy home is worth about $173,000, up 13.1% in a year, 41% below the Illinois typical home. 83% of Joy households own their home, above both the Illinois town median (75%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%). The median rent in Joy is $965 a month.
| Joy | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 83% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $965 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Joy faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 82% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
With 0.3 jobs for every working resident, most of Joy’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Joy for work: only 0% work in town. Joy’s median household income is $56,000. The top destinations are Aledo (19%), Muscatine (12%) and Rock Island (6%).
| Joy | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $56,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Joy
Joy has cold winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 15° and about 22 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
More of Joy’s adults have been diagnosed with depression than in the typical Illinois or U.S. town
25% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Joy. Joy beats the Illinois average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 40% of adults have obesity in Joy.
| Joy | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 33% | 33% |
| What stands out | Joy | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.1% | 10.3% |
| More smokers | 17.7% | 12.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 9% | 6.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Joy
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Joy; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Joy residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
100% of working residents leave Joy for work
Where Joy’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Joy
Village in Illinois, United States
Joy is a village in Mercer County, Illinois, United States. The population was 372 as of the 2020 census. The village was founded in 1869 and named after the president of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, J. F. Joy.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 686 ft
- ZIP code
- 61260
Questions about Joy
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Joy, IL a good place to live?
Joy has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.