Walnut Grove Farm · National Register of Historic Places
Knox Township’s story
Knox Township in pictures
The archive holds 2 maps from 1925 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Knox TownshipIL
A town of 4,785.
9 bordering townsMap →
Walnut Grove Farm · Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Population
4,785
2025 Census estimate · −3.2% since 2020
Median home value
$143K
Census ACS
Household income
$82K
median
Median age
45.5
years
Jobs based here
764
A commuter town
TownGrade
B−
#469 of 767 in IL
Is Knox Township a good place to live?
Knox Township gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $143K, 2.5 years of the Galesburg area’s $57K median household income. It grades B− overall, ranked 469th of 767 in Illinois. 26% of residents are 65 or older in Knox Township, against 19% in Illinois’ towns and 18% across U.S. towns. On history, just 122 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do better. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 76% of U.S. towns.
What makes Knox Township stand out
Where Knox Township beats most towns.
A commuter town
91% of working residents leave Knox Township for work
Where Knox Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
764jobs based in Knox Township
9%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Knox Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Knox Township is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.9 of 20; 4% of households have no car; 0.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →Cost of livingB+Open →SchoolsBOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 44% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listBOpen →HealthSt. Mary Medical Center 6.6 miles awayC+Open →Jobs & income$82K median household incomeB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trails; 0% conserved landDOpen →History1 place on the National RegisterAOpen →Civic life2.5 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsCOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Knox Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Knox Township, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterKnoxville water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Knox Township’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Illinois you can register online until 16 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 28 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereKnox County ClerkKnox County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes61448, 61430, 6140161448 73% · 61430 15% · 61401 11%Census 2020
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 Knox Township.
Knox Township has commutes shorter than most of Illinois, but it has little public open land.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
With 0.4 jobs for every working resident, most of Knox Township’s workers commute out
The average commute for its 2,079 working residents takes 20.5 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois. Jobs based here grew from 559 in 2013 to 764.
Most working residents leave Knox Township for work: only 9% work in town. Knox Township’s average trip to work is 21 minutes. Jobs based in Knox Township grew to 764 in 2023, 205 more than in 2013.
9%work in town
| Knox Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 6% | 11% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Knox Township9%
Galesburg35%
Peoria9%
Knoxville8%
Monmouth2%
20 mi
median commute distance
764
jobs based in Knox Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 24% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SchoolsB
On state tests, Knox Township’s schools beat 64% of Illinois districts
Its public schools are run by Knoxville CUSD 202. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
64%of IL districts it outscoresBSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mable Woolsey Elem SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 383 | B |
| Knoxville Sr High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 272 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
Climate
In Knox Township, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Knox Township has cold winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 15° and about 25 inches of snow falls in a winter.
25″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter18–34°
Spring40–61°
Summer62–83°
Fall42–63°
Oct 20
typical first frost
Apr 21
typical last frost
+0.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Moderate risk in Knox Township, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 56% of U.S. communities.
44risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingStrong windCold waves
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthC+
Knox Township is less healthy than 55% of U.S. towns
Knox Township beats the Illinois average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 39% of adults have high blood pressure in Knox Township.
45%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Knox Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 80% | 78% | 79% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
3 better20 too close to call9 worse
| What stands out | Knox Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.6% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.7% | 13.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.3% | 10.3% |
St. Mary Medical Center
6.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
31st
percentile among IL towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
OutdoorsD
Conserved land covers 0.5% of Knox Township
Just 109 of its 22,588 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Knox Township itself; its outdoors grade is D.
0.4 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
0.5%conserved
0.5%
conserved · 109 of 22,588 acres
0.4 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Knox Park | 0.1 mi | 8 |
| 2. Martin Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Knox Township
18pages on Knox Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Knox Township
Knox CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Galesburg5.8 mi$57,903 tuitionCarl Sandburg CollegeCommunity college · Public · Galesburg8.3 mi$5,390 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Knox Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
About Knox Township
Township in Illinois, United States
Knox Township is one of twenty-one townships in Knox County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 4,922 and it contained 2,221 housing units.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 36 sq mi
- Elevation
- 735 ft
Knox Township’s neighbors
9 towns share a border with Knox Township.
GalesburgGalesburg City TownshipGalesburg TownshipPersifer TownshipEast GalesburgOrange TownshipKnoxvilleSparta TownshipCopley TownshipKnox Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knox Township | #469 | B− | B+ | — | B | C+ |
| Galesburg · Galesburg Township | #716 | D | B | — | C− | D |
| Galesburg City Township | #713 | D | B | — | C− | D |
| Persifer Township | — | — | C− | — | B+ | B |
| East Galesburg | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Orange Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Knoxville | #317 | B+ | A− | — | B | B |
| Sparta Township | — | — | A | — | B+ | B |
Persifer Township and Sparta Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Knox Township, Galesburg, Galesburg City Township, Persifer Township, Knoxville and Sparta Township report no FBI crime data of their own. East Galesburg and Orange Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Galesburg Township and Galesburg are one community, graded once. Compare Knox Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Knox Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Knox Township, IL a good place to live?
Knox Township grades B− overall, better than 51% of U.S. towns and #469 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C+ for health and B for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Knox Township, IL expensive?
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 B+.