MaconIL
A town of 1,120, settled in 1864. 71% more nonprofits per person than the typical Illinois town.
Is Macon a good place to live?
Macon’s best subject grades are an A− for cost of living and an A for civic life. Only 9 of the 769 Illinois towns we compare have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Macon. Macon's schools outperform 69% of the state's. Only 87 of Illinois’ 1,240 towns score higher on civic life. Macon has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Macon stand out
Where Macon beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Typical home value
1,120 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Macon grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Macon is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Macon: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Macon, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Macon.
Macon’s typical home value is about $160K
The typical Macon home is worth about $160,000, up 4.6% in a year, 46% below the Illinois typical home. Macon’s median rent is $918 a month, where Illinois’ towns sit at $1,129 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month.
| Macon | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $918 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 78% | 75% | 73% |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most of Macon’s workers commute out: the town has 0.5 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Macon for work: only 9% work in town. Jobs based in Macon grew to 264 in 2023, 54 more than in 2013. Macon’s average trip to work is 29 minutes, above both Illinois’ towns (26 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes).
| Macon | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.4% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Macon is healthier than 69% of U.S. towns
Macon beats the Illinois average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 19% of Macon adults binge drink.
| Macon | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 23% | 25% |
| What stands out | Macon | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.1% | 15.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.3% | 9.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.7% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
In Macon, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Macon has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 19° and about 14 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Macon
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 51% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Macon has set aside 0% of its land for conservation
0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Macon Memorial Park | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Macon
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Macon
About 2 of every 100 Macon residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
91% of working residents leave Macon for work
Where Macon’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Macon
City in Illinois, United States
Macon is a city in Macon County, Illinois, United States whose population was 1,177 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Decatur, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area and lies 9 miles (14 km) south of Decatur.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 722 ft
- ZIP code
- 62544
- Area code
- 217
Questions about Macon
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Macon, IL a good place to live?
71% more nonprofits per person than the typical Illinois town.
Is Macon, 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−.