Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,144, settled in 1865.
Locust Township gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $152K, 2.4 years of the Taylorville area’s $63K median household income. It grades B− overall, 461st of 767 graded towns in Illinois. Only 46 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns score lower on the outdoors. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 77% of U.S. towns. Only 2 of the 768 Illinois towns we compare have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Locust Township.
1,825 counted in 2010 and 3,137 in 2020; an estimated 3,144 in 2025.
Growth has leveled off: within 1% of 2020, after 71.9% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Locust Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 825 in 1870, a low of 656 in 1990, 3,137 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2026 and 3 maps from 1947 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Locust 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 Locust Township.
The average commute for its 959 working residents takes 21.6 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
0.7% of Locust Township working residents work locally, against 8.4% in Illinois’ towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Since 2013, Locust Township has added 292 jobs, to 318 in 2023. The average trip to work in Locust Township is 22 minutes.
| Locust Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.7% | 8.4% | 8% |
| Median household income | $71,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 8% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Locust Township has chilly winters and warm summers. Locust Township’s July high is 86°F, above Illinois’ towns (84°F) and close to U.S. towns (85°F).
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Locust Township beats the Illinois average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 17% of adults smoke cigarettes in Locust Township.
| Locust Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 19% |
| What stands out | Locust Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8% | 9.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.1% | 6.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 58% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Locust Township; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Locust Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
Where Locust Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Township in Illinois, United States
Locust Township is one of seventeen townships in Christian County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,137 and it contained 249 housing units. Taylorville Correctional Center is located in the township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Locust Township.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Locust Township | #461 | B− | A | — | B− | C+ |
| Assumption Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Johnson Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rosamond Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| May Township | — | — | C+ | — | B− | C+ |
May Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Locust Township and May Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Assumption Township, Johnson Township and Rosamond Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Locust Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Locust Township grades B− overall, better than 52% of U.S. towns and #461 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C+ for health and B− for schools. Walkability 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 A.