Leaf River, IL Fire Dept 01, 2007
Leaf River Township’s story
182 years in pictures
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2007.
- 1844Leaf River Township is settled
Leaf River TownshipIL
5 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Ben Jacobson (Kranar Drogin) · CC BY 2.5
Population
1,076
2025 Census estimate · −1.7% since 2020
Median home value
$178K
Census ACS
Household income
$86K
median
Median age
50.5
years
Jobs based here
168
A commuter town
Is Leaf River Township a good place to live?
Leaf River Township’s best subject grade is an A− for cost of living. Among 769 Illinois towns, just 7 have a lower January low than Leaf River Township. Leaf River Township's schools outperform 70% of the state's. On the outdoors, just 19 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do worse. Leaf River Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 96% of U.S. towns. Leaf River Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Leaf River Township stand out
Where Leaf River Township beats most towns.
Small town
1,076 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Maryland TownshipRockvale TownshipSeward TownshipByron TownshipRidott TownshipLeaf River Township
How Leaf River Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Leaf River Township is from typical.
Cost of livingTypical home $178K, 2.2 years of the Rochelle area’s $82K median household incomeA−Open →SchoolsB+Open →Jobs & income$86K median household incomeB+Open →HealthFHN Memorial Hospital 15.6 miles awayB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 3.7 of 20; 7.4% of households have no car; 4% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksD−Open →HistoryA−Open →Civic life1.2 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsD−Open →
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 Leaf River Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Leaf River Township, and how to reach them.
PowerCommonwealth Edison17.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLeaf River water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers79% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Leaf River Township’s trash rules yet
SchoolsForrestville Valley Community Unit School District 221Which school depends on your addressNCES
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 hereOgle County ClerkOgle County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code6104761047 99%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 Leaf River Township.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
Most of Leaf River Township’s workers commute out: the town has 0.3 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Leaf River Township for work: only 1% work in town. At 30 minutes, Leaf River Township’s average trip to work is against 26 minutes in Illinois’ towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Since 2013, Leaf River Township has added 96 jobs, to 168 in 2023.
1%work in town
| Leaf River Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.4% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Leaf River Township1%
Rockford20%
Byron9%
Oregon4%
Chicago4%
21 mi
median commute distance
168
jobs based in Leaf River Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 34% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthB+
Leaf River Township ranks healthier than 67% of the country’s towns
Leaf River Township beats the Illinois average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 31% of Leaf River Township adults feel lonely, where Illinois’ towns sit at 33% and U.S. towns at 33%. 39% of Leaf River Township adults have obesity.
67%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
| Leaf River Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 16% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
8 better21 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Leaf River Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.8% | 15.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.4% | 7.6% |
FHN Memorial Hospital
15.6 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Leaf River Township has four seasons and pleasant summers
Leaf River Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 13° and about 32 inches of snow falls in a winter.
32″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter16–32°
Spring38–59°
Summer60–82°
Fall41–62°
Oct 13
typical first frost
Apr 26
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C+
Leaf River Township faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 1994, 44 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Leaf River Township.
62risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
44
paid flood claims since 1994
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Nearby attractions
All 25 attractions →BMO Center and 9 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Leaf River Township. Close and well known come first.
17 mi Stadium & arenaBMO Center
23 mi National Historic SiteRonald Reagan Boyhood Home National Historic Site
20 mi GardenAnderson Japanese Gardens
37 mi TheatreEgyptian Theatre, DeKalb
23 mi MuseumJohn Deere House and Shop
37 mi MuseumEllwood HouseSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
BMO Center: SimLibrarian, CC0 · Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home National Historic Site: Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Anderson Japanese Gardens: M. Readey, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Egyptian Theatre, DeKalb: Andy McMurray, CC BY 2.5 · John Deere House and Shop: IvoShandor, CC BY 2.5 · Ellwood House: Paul R. Burley, CC0
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Leaf River Township
17pages on Leaf River Township
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Leaf River Township; the nearest are
Highland Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Freeport16.7 mi$4,936 in-state tuitionNorthern Illinois UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Dekalb35.8 mi$13,248 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Leaf River Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Leaf River Township for work
Where Leaf River Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
168jobs based in Leaf River Township
1%of working residents work in town
21 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Leaf River Township
Village in Illinois, United States
Leaf River is a village in Leaf River Township, Ogle County, Illinois, United States, along a stream of the same name. As of the 2020 census, Leaf River had a population of 432.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1882
- Area
- 0.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 725 ft
- ZIP code
- 61047
Questions about Leaf River Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Leaf River 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 A−.