Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Macomb City Township is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C overall, ranked 581st of 767 in Illinois, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is cost of living: a typical home costs about $103K, 2 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. 25% of residents live below the poverty line in Macomb City Township, where Illinois’ towns sit at 8.4% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Only 76 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns score higher on history. Spring Lake Park, at 912 acres with 11.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Macomb City Township beats most towns.
19,288 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 City Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 756 in 1850, 15,051 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1865 and 3 maps from 1912 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Macomb City 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 Macomb City Township.
Macomb City Township is shaped by its college students, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has commutes shorter than most of Illinois.
Across 23 parks and preserves: 15 miles of trail. Macomb City Township’s concentration of trails is 1.4 miles per square mile.
| Macomb City Township | 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
Its public schools are run by Macomb CUSD 185. Two of its 13 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. The largest public high school is Macomb Senior High School, with 660 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macomb Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 479 | B |
| Macomb Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 660 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
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.
Adults 18 to 34 are 43% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 26% of residents (39% statewide). Macomb City Township is shrinking: down 5.8% since 2020, to 14,530 residents (2025 estimate). The share of residents in Macomb City Township who are under 18: 15%. The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 35%, against 38% across Illinois.
| Macomb City Township | 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 City Township | 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
FEMA expects less storm and flood damage in Macomb City Township than in 69% of U.S. communities. 21% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 19%.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Expect July afternoons of 85° and January nights of 17°, with about 11 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 5,181 working residents takes 15.5 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
For Macomb City Township, the typical journey to work is 16 minutes. Employers in Macomb City Township shed 828 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 7,206. Half the trips to work are shorter than 15 miles. The top destinations are Macomb (45%), Peoria (4%) and Quincy (3%).
| Macomb City Township | 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
Against the 3,795 U.S. towns with household incomes like Macomb City Township’s, it is healthier than 85%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
In Macomb City Township, just over a fifth of adults report frequent mental distress. Two figures for adults locally: 22% worry about having enough food, 36% feel lonely.
| Macomb City Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 17% | 17% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 13% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 33% | 33% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 19% |
| What stands out | Macomb City Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults without reliable transportation | 13% | 8% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 11.3% | 7.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.7% | 10.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Macomb City Township
College town 28 of every 100 Macomb City Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
5.3% of the town is conserved land, across 23 parks and preserves.
24 notable people were born in Macomb City Township.
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 City Township.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macomb City Township | #581 | C | B− | — | B− | C+ |
| Macomb · Macomb Township | #594 | C | B− | — | B− | C+ |
| Emmet Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Scotland Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Chalmers Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Macomb City Township and Macomb 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 City Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Macomb City Township grades C overall, better than 32% of U.S. towns and #581 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−.
24 notable people were born here, including Elizabeth Magie and Marcus Dunstan.