Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lincoln gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $137K for a typical one, or 2.1 years of the Lincoln area’s $66K median household income. It grades B overall, 432nd among Illinois's 767 graded towns. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns. 31% of working residents work locally in Lincoln, above both the Illinois town median (8.3%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Lincoln has 6 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them University Hall and Lincoln Courthouse Square Historic District. Lincoln's schools rank ahead of 71% of Illinois towns.
Where Lincoln beats most towns.
University Hall
Census counts: 5,639 in 1880, 13,288 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 2 maps from 1911 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Lincoln is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lincoln, 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 Lincoln.
Lincoln trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has seen reported crime rise by about half.
Homes are within reach (about $137K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 27 miles. At 2.1 years of the Lincoln area’s $66K median household income, the typical home (about $137K) costs less against local pay than in 75% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
57% of households are owner-occupiers in Lincoln. Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 8.9% in value. Also worth knowing: for Lincoln, the rent at the middle of the market is $828 a month.
| Lincoln | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $828 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The range runs from 18° on a January night to 86° on a July afternoon, with about 19 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The biggest park or preserve is Memorial Park, at 49 acres. 1.2 miles of trail wind through 12 parks and preserves. In Lincoln, the density of trails is 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Lincoln | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.9% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Scully Park | 0.3 mi | 2 |
| 2. Memorial Park | 0.1 mi | 49 |
| 3. Memorial Gardens | 0.1 mi | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 8,130 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lincoln’s, it is healthier than 62%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
In Lincoln, 18% of adults report frequent mental distress. Of 32 CDC measures, Lincoln beats the Illinois average on 1 and trails it on 9.
| Lincoln | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Lincoln | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8.2% | 9.9% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.9% | 10.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here fell from 5,152 in 2013 to 4,082. The average commute for its 4,683 working residents takes 18.2 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
For workers in Lincoln, the share who do their job from home is 6.9%. About one in three of the town’s working residents works in town. Its mean commuting time comes in at 18 minutes. Employers in Lincoln shed 1,070 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 4,082.
| Lincoln | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 6.9% | 11% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes rose from 160 to 351 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Lincoln’s level of property crime stands at 24.2 per 1,000 residents. The rate of reported violence in the town is 2.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Lincoln | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 24.2 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.8 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Federal aid has come to Lincoln households in 3 declared disasters; the latest was in 2011. FEMA expects less storm and flood damage in the town than in 55% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 36% come from inland flooding and 21% from cold waves.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Lincoln; the nearest are
About 8 of every 100 Lincoln residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
6 places in Lincoln on the National Register of Historic Places.
19 notable people were born in Lincoln.
City in Illinois, United States
Lincoln is a city in and the county seat of Logan County, Illinois, United States. First settled in the 1830s, it is the only town in the U.S. that was named for Abraham Lincoln before he became president. As a lawyer, he pled cases in courtrooms there from 1847 to 1859. Lincoln is home to two prisons. It is the home of the world's largest covered wagon and numerous other historical sites along the Route 66 corridor. There is a National Weather Service Forecast Office in Lincoln. The population was 13,288 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Lincoln.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln | #432 | B | B+ | C+ | B+ | C+ |
| West Lincoln Township | #338 | B+ | B+ | — | B+ | C+ |
| Broadwell Township | #351 | B+ | A | — | B+ | B− |
West Lincoln Township and Broadwell Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Lincoln with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Lincoln grades B overall, better than 57% of U.S. towns and #432 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C+ for health, C+ for safety and B+ for schools.
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+.
19 notable people were born here, including Scott Altman and Terry Kinney.
