Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The picture is mixed. Its lowest grade is for schools (C−): its schools rank behind 85% of the state's. LaSalle Township’s overall grade, C, puts it better than 29% of U.S. towns. That places it 600th of 767 in Illinois. Incomes are weaker too: the median household income is $61K, and 16% of residents live below the poverty line. Cost of living is where it shines — a typical home costs about $123K, 1.7 years of the Ottawa area’s $72K median household income. On hazard risk, just 92 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do better. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 95% of U.S. towns.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results · FEMA National Risk Index.
Where LaSalle Township beats most towns.
Where LaSalle Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far LaSalle Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,993 in 1860, a peak of 13,149 in 1930, 9,582 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers and 6 maps from 1893 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in LaSalle 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 LaSalle Township.
LaSalle Township is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has commutes shorter than most of Illinois, but it trails Utica Township and its other neighbors on schools.
Each of its 4 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than that grade, Utica Township highest at B−.
Two of its 8 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. 4 public schools serve LaSalle Township, with 1,363 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Elem SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 650 | C |
| La Salle-Peru Twp High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,167 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
The average commute for its 6,087 working residents takes 20.6 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
Only 14% of working residents stay in LaSalle Township for work; the rest commute out. In LaSalle Township, the typical journey to work is 21 minutes. 2.2% of workers do their job from home in the town, below both Illinois’ towns (11%) and U.S. towns (11%). Jobs locally fell by 226 from 2013 to 2023, to 4,064.
| LaSalle Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 2.2% | 11% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Households in LaSalle Township have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 1999. FEMA expects less storm and flood damage locally than in 74% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 43% come from inland flooding and 36% from cold waves. 11 flood insurance claims have been paid locally since 1979.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
4.1 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. In LaSalle Township, the trail network density is 0.2 miles per square mile, near both the Illinois town median (0.3) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4).
| LaSalle Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. McPhedran Park | 0.4 mi | 9 |
| 2. Hegeler Park | — | 14 |
| 3. Lehigh Mormorial Park | — | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expect July afternoons of 85° and January nights of 15°, with about 29 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 9,233 U.S. towns with household incomes like LaSalle Township’s, it is healthier than 68%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
18% of LaSalle Township adults binge drink. Two figures for adults locally: 15% smoke cigarettes, 14% report frequent physical distress.
| LaSalle Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 13% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | LaSalle Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.8% | 10.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.2% | 6.3% |
| More smokers | 15.3% | 12.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of LaSalle Township
About 4 of every 100 LaSalle Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
City in Illinois, United States
La Salle or LaSalle is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States, located at the intersection of Interstates 39 and 80. It is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area. Originally platted in 1837 over one square mile (2.6 square kilometers), the city's boundaries have grown to 12 sq mi (31 km2). Named in honor of 17th century Illinois valley explorer, the Sieur de La Salle, city boundaries extend from the Illinois River and Illinois and Michigan Canal to a mile north of Interstate 80 and from the city of Peru on the west to the village of North Utica on the east. Starved Rock State Park is located approximately 5 mi (8 km) to the east. The population was 9,582 as of the 2…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with LaSalle Township.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LaSalle Township | #600 | C | B+ | — | C− | B− |
| Deer Park Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oglesby | #510 | C+ | B+ | — | C | B |
| Eden Township | — | — | A− | — | C | B− |
| Utica Township | — | — | B | — | B− | B |
| Dimmick Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| LaSalle | #438 | B | B | A | C | C+ |
| Peru · Peru Township | #387 | B | B+ | C+ | B− | B |
Eden Township and Utica Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. LaSalle Township, Oglesby, Eden Township and Utica Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Deer Park Township and Dimmick Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Peru Township and Peru are one community, graded once. Compare LaSalle Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
LaSalle Township grades C overall, better than 29% of U.S. towns and #600 of 767 in Illinois. It grades B− for health and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
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+.