Photograph with caption "Pontoon Wagon Bridge, Lacon, ILL.", 1890
Lacon’s story
189 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1890.
- 1837Lacon is settled
LaconIL
A typical home costs 2 years of the Peoria metro’s $72K median household income.
Photo: ProfDEH · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
1,822
2025 Census estimate · −3.1% since 2020
Typical home
$146K
+10.1% in a year
Household income
$63K
median
Median age
38.8
years
Jobs based here
437
A commuter town
Is Lacon a good place to live?
The best of Lacon’s subject grades are an A− for cost of living and the outdoors; the weakest is a C− for walkability. Lacon’s average trip to work is 33 minutes, against 26 minutes in Illinois’ towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Among 769 Illinois towns, just 8 have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Lacon. The biggest park or preserve is Marshall State Fish and Wildlife Area, at 42 acres. Lacon has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Lacon stand out
Where Lacon beats most towns.
A commuter town
88% of working residents leave Lacon for work
Where Lacon’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
437jobs based in Lacon
12%of working residents work in town
24 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Lacon grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Lacon is from typical.
Cost of livingA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.9 of 20; 5.1% of households have no car; 0.3% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →Jobs & income$63K median household income; 437 jobs based hereC−Open →SchoolsBeat 58% of Illinois districts on tests and graduationBOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC+Open →HealthSaint Francis Medical Center 21.7 miles awayB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trails; 6% conserved landA−Open →History2 notable people born hereB+Open →Civic life2.8 library visits per resident; 4.7 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 38.8; 10% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Lacon: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lacon, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLacon water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Lacon’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 hereMarshall County ClerkMarshall County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code6154061540 100%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 Lacon.
HousingCost of living grade A−
A typical Lacon home is worth about $146K
The typical Lacon home is worth about $146,000, up 10.1% in a year, 51% below the Illinois typical home. At $817 a month, Lacon’s median rent is below both the Illinois town median ($1,129 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
$146KZillow home value
| Lacon | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $817 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 75% | 73% |
Typical home value
Lacon$146K
Illinois$296K
+10.1%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
Lacon has 0.5 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Lacon for work: only 12% work in town. 15% of Lacon residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Peoria (16%), Toluca (2%) and Chillicothe (2%).
12%work in town
| Lacon | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 8.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Lacon12%
Peoria16%
Toluca2%
Chillicothe2%
Mossville2%
24 mi
median commute distance
437
jobs based in Lacon
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 19% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Lacon has four seasons and pleasant summers
Lacon has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 16° and about 25 inches of snow falls in a winter.
25″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter19–36°
Spring40–62°
Summer62–84°
Fall43–65°
Oct 17
typical first frost
Apr 20
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Safety
Crime reported in Lacon
Lacon's reported crime rate is well below Illinois's. Lacon’s property crime rate is 4.9 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes.
| Lacon | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.9 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Lacon1.1
Illinois2.6
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Lacon4.9
Illinois15.6
U.S.15.5
2
violent crimes reported in 2025
9
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
5.6%conserved
| Lacon | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.6% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
5.6%
conserved · 60 of 1,069 acres
0.3 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Marshall State Fish and Wildlife Area | — | 42 |
| 2. Johnson's Grove Park | — | 20 |
| 3. Lacon Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HealthB−
Residents of Lacon are less healthy than 52% of U.S. towns
Lacon beats the Illinois average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 38% of adults have high blood pressure in Lacon.
48%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Lacon | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 11% | 12% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
6 better19 too close to call7 worse
| What stands out | Lacon | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.4% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.9% | 13.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.9% | 6.3% |
Saint Francis Medical Center
In Peoria · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C+
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Lacon
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 52% of U.S. communities.
52risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesStrong wind
5
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lacon
20pages on Lacon
The big questions
SchoolsBBeat 58% of IL districtsSafety1.1 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthB−Better than IL on 6 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingA−$146K typical home · up 10.1% in a yearWork & commuteC−$63K median household income · 437 jobs hereNatural hazardsC+FEMA risk higher than 52% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Lacon; the nearest are
Methodist CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Peoria22.1 mi$18,008 tuitionIllinois Central CollegeCommunity college · Public · East Peoria22.7 mi$4,800 in-state tuitionIllinois State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Normal41.6 mi$16,144 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Lacon residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
About Lacon
City in Illinois, United States
Lacon is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Illinois, United States. It is part of the Peoria metropolitan area. The population was 1,878 at the 2020 census, down from 1,937 in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 486 ft
- ZIP code
- 61540
- Area code
- 309
Questions about Lacon
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lacon, 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 A−.
What is Lacon, IL known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Robert Sproull and Valerie Allen Marland.