Oak Hill Cemetery · National Register of Historic Places
Lewistown’s story
195 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1879.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1831Lewistown is settled
LewistownIL
2.2 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Illinois town.
Photo: formulanone from Huntsville, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,962
2025 Census estimate · −4.3% since 2020
Typical home
$126K
+9.6% in a year
Household income
$54K
median
Median age
46.1
years
Jobs based here
570
Balanced
Is Lewistown a good place to live?
The best of Lewistown’s subject grades are an A for cost of living, civic life, and history; the weakest is a D for schools. Lewistown’s average trip to work is 41 minutes, above both Illinois’ towns (26 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Among 749 Illinois towns, just 9 have a lower median rent than Lewistown. Lewistown is more walkable than 68% of U.S. towns. Only 62 of Illinois’ 1,240 towns score higher on civic life. Oak Hill Cemetery is on the National Register of Historic Places. Lewistown has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Lewistown stand out
Where Lewistown beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Lewistown7.3
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical IL town3.4
Civic lifeA
2.2 times the nonprofits per person
than the typical Illinois town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
Typical home value
Lewistown$126K
Illinois$296K
Cost of livingA
2.1 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 92% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
Oak Hill CemeteryHistoryA
Settled in 1831
1 place on the National Register
A history going back 195 years.
A shrinking town
Lewistown has shrunk 18% since 2010
2,384 counted in 2010 and 2,041 in 2020; an estimated 1,962 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Lewistown grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Lewistown is from typical.
Cost of livingAOpen →SchoolsBehind 86% of Illinois districts on tests and graduationDOpen →Jobs & incomeC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.9 of 20; 10.8% of households have no car; 3% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB+Open →HealthMason District Hospital 8.2 miles awayCOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 33% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsB−Open →History1 place on the National Register; 6 notable people born hereAOpen →Civic life7.3 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
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 Lewistown: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lewistown, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLewistown water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Lewistown’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 hereFulton County ClerkFulton County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code6154261542 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 Lewistown.
HousingCost of living grade A
The typical home in Lewistown is valued at about $126K
The typical Lewistown home is worth about $126,000, up 9.6% in a year, 57% below the Illinois typical home. 66% of Lewistown households own their home, where Illinois’ towns sit at 75% and U.S. towns at 73%.
$126KZillow home value
Typical home value
Lewistown$126K
Illinois$296K
+9.6%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in April
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
HealthC
Lewistown is less healthy than 68% of U.S. towns
Lewistown beats the Illinois average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 39% of Lewistown adults have high blood pressure.
32%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Lewistown | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
0 better22 too close to call10 worse
| What stands out | Lewistown | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18% | 10.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.5% | 6.3% |
| More smokers | 16.7% | 12.1% |
Mason District Hospital
8.2 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Lewistown has four seasons and pleasant summers
Lewistown has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 17° and about 14 inches of snow falls in a winter.
14″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter21–37°
Spring42–63°
Summer63–84°
Fall43–65°
Oct 19
typical first frost
Apr 17
typical last frost
+0.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Lewistown faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 1985, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lewistown.
33risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
3
paid flood claims since 1985
7
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
Lewistown has 0.8 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Lewistown for work: only 16% work in town. Lewistown’s median household income is $54,000. Jobs based in Lewistown fell to 570 in 2023, 140 fewer than in 2013.
16%work in town
| Lewistown | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $54,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Lewistown16%
Canton14%
Peoria8%
Havana6%
Macomb4%
28 mi
median commute distance
570
jobs based in Lewistown
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 68% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
OutdoorsB−
Lewistown has set aside 2% of its land for conservation
0.0 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
2%conserved
2%
conserved · 26 of 1,272 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ratcliff Park | — | 11 |
| 2. Higgins Field | — | 6 |
| 3. Ross Mansion Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lewistown
19pages on Lewistown
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Lewistown
About 2 of every 100 Lewistown residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
Famous people from Lewistown
6 notable people were born in Lewistown.
About Lewistown
City in Fulton County, Illinois
Lewistown is a city and the county seat of Fulton County, Illinois, United States. It was named by its founder, Ossian M. Ross, after his oldest son, Lewis Winans Ross. The population was 2,041 at the 2020 census. Located in central Illinois, it is southwest of Peoria. It is the source of Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, who lived there. Native American burial mounds are nearby at Dickson Mounds off Illinois Route 97.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3,950 ft
- ZIP code
- 61542
- Area code
- 309
Questions about Lewistown
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lewistown, IL a good place to live?
2.2 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Illinois town.
Is Lewistown, 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 Lewistown, IL known for?
6 notable people were born here, including Pat Harmon and William E. Hull.