Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Macomb is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C overall, ranked 594th of 767 in Illinois, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is cost of living: a typical home costs about $113K, 2.1 years of the Macomb area’s $53K median household income. Its lowest everyday mark is in incomes: the median household income is $44K, and 25% of residents live below the poverty line. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 92% of U.S. towns, with 5 places on the National Register. 25% of residents live below the poverty line in Macomb, above both the Illinois town median (8.4%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Macomb is home to Western Illinois University. On history, just 75 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do better.
Where Macomb beats most towns.
McDonough County Courthouse19,288 counted in 2010 and 15,051 in 2020; an estimated 14,530 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 5.8% since 2020, after 22% 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 Macomb is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 756 in 1850, 15,051 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1865 and 3 maps from 1912 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Macomb, 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 Macomb.
Macomb is shaped by its college students, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
15 miles of trail in 23 parks and preserves. Macomb’s trail density is 1.4 miles per square mile. Spring Lake Park, at 912 acres with 11.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Macomb | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.3% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Spring Lake Park | 11.5 mi | 912 |
| 2. Veterans Park | 0.6 mi | 79 |
| 3. Lakeview Nature Area | — | 73 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 2.1 years of the Macomb area’s $53K median household income, the typical home (about $113K) costs less against local pay than in 75% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to its B− for cost of living. At about $113K, home values are up 14% in five years, against a rise of 30% across Illinois.
49% of households own their home in Macomb. The typical Macomb home is worth about $113,000, up 3.3% in a year, 62% below the Illinois typical home. The median rent in Macomb is $765 a month.
| Macomb | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 49% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $765 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
27.5% of residents are enrolled in college, against 6.3% statewide, which pulls the median age down. The median household earns $44,411, against $83,390 across Illinois, one input to its C− for jobs and income.
15% of Macomb residents are under 18. Macomb has lost 5.8% of its people since 2020, down to 14,530 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 16% of Macomb residents are 65 or older.
| Macomb | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 27.6 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 15% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 29% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 19% | 18% |
53% women, 47% men
About 91 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.3 points). Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 27.1, men 27.9.
| Macomb | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.8% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 30.8% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.5% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 6.1% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.8% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.9% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.4% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.3% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.2% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 20.1% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 69% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Macomb has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 17° and about 11 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 3,795 U.S. towns with household incomes like Macomb’s, it is healthier than 83%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Macomb beats the Illinois average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. Of the 767 Illinois towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Macomb.
| Macomb | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 17% | 17% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 13% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 33% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | Macomb | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults without reliable transportation | 14.3% | 8% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 12.3% | 7.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.8% | 10.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The average commute for its 5,181 working residents takes 15.5 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
45% of Macomb’s working residents work right in town. Jobs based in Macomb fell to 7,206 in 2023, 828 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Peoria (4%), Quincy (3%) and Carthage (2%).
| Macomb | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 45% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $44,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 8.1% | 11% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Macomb's reported crime rate is well below Illinois's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 17 violent crimes were reported in 2023.
| Macomb | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 8.1 per 1,000 residents | 9.8 | 13.1 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.3 | 1.8 |
FBI crime data, 2023 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Macomb
College town 28 of every 100 Macomb residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
5 places in Macomb on the National Register of Historic Places.
18 notable people were born in Macomb.
City in Illinois, United States
Macomb () is a city in and the county seat of McDonough County, Illinois, United States. It is situated in western Illinois, about 75 miles (121 km) southwest of Peoria. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 15,051. Macomb is the home of Western Illinois University.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Macomb.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macomb · Macomb Township | #594 | C | B− | — | B− | C+ |
| Macomb City Township | #581 | C | B− | — | B− | C+ |
| Emmet Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Scotland Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Chalmers Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Macomb and Macomb City Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Emmet Township, Scotland Township and Chalmers Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Macomb Township and Macomb are one community, graded once. Compare Macomb with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Macomb grades C overall, better than 30% of U.S. towns and #594 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C+ for health and B− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
18 notable people were born here, including Elizabeth Magie and Marcus Dunstan.
