Illinois Central Depot in Maroa, IIllinos, Nov. 1981 -- Amazing, 1981
Maroa’s story
171 years in pictures
The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1981.
- 1855Maroa is settled
Photo: Tedder · CC BY 4.0
Population
1,517
2025 Census estimate · −4.2% since 2020
Typical home
$158K
+3.1% in a year
Household income
$73K
median
Median age
39.0
years
Jobs based here
206
A commuter town
Is Maroa a good place to live?
The best of Maroa’s subject grades are an A− for schools and cost of living; the weakest is a C for walkability. Maroa’s median rent is $851 a month, where Illinois’ towns sit at $1,129 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. On the outdoors, just 124 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do worse. Maroa has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Maroa stand out
Where Maroa beats most towns.
A shrinking town
Maroa has shrunk 16% since 2010
1,801 counted in 2010 and 1,577 in 2020; an estimated 1,517 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Maroa grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Maroa is from typical.
SchoolsBeat 80% of Illinois districts on tests and graduationA−Open →Cost of livingA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.9 of 20; 4.1% of households have no car; 1.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →HealthWarner Hospital and Health Services 7.8 miles awayB+Open →Jobs & income$73K median household income; 206 jobs based hereBOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 48% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsDOpen →History2 notable people born hereC+Open →Civic life4.1 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsBOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 39.0; 32% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Maroa: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Maroa, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterMaroa water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpTown’s haulerThe town’s contract hauler picks up at the curb for every homeTown site
Register to voteOnlineIn Illinois you can register online until 16 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 28 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereMacon County ClerkMacon County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code6175661756 100%Census 2020
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 Maroa.
HousingCost of living grade A−
Homes in Maroa are worth about $158K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical Maroa home is worth about $158,000, up 3.1% in a year, 47% below the Illinois typical home.
$158KZillow home value
Typical home value
Maroa$158K
Illinois$296K
+3.1%
value change, 1 year
2
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
Maroa has 0.3 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Maroa for work: only 6% work in town. At 23 minutes, Maroa’s average trip to work is below both Illinois’ towns (26 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). 6.6% of Maroa workers work from home.
6%work in town
| Maroa | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 6.6% | 11% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.8% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $73,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Maroa6%
Decatur38%
Springfield5%
Clinton5%
Forsyth3%
13 mi
median commute distance
206
jobs based in Maroa
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 26% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthB+
Maroa is healthier than 72% of U.S. towns
Maroa beats the Illinois average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 19% of adults binge drink in Maroa.
72%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
| Maroa | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 23% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 19% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
6 better24 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Maroa | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.9% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10% | 15.9% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.6% | 10.3% |
Warner Hospital and Health Services
7.8 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Who lives here
More children than Illinois overall
Children under 18 are 33% of residents (22% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 14% of residents (23% statewide). Maroa has lost 4.2% of its people since 2020, down to 1,517 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 33% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 38% across Illinois.
39median age · IL 39
| Maroa | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 39 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 29% | 29% |
MaroaIllinoisUnited States
Ages · share of residents
19%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma6%
High school30%
Some college23%
Associate’s9%
Bachelor’s21%
Graduate11%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 37% and 65% women
The Census survey reached too few of Maroa’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±13.7 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Maroa | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 19.3% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.7% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.2% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.8% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.8% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.5% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.1% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.8% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.9% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.8% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.7% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.2% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.7% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.3% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.2% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,500, single groups can be off by several points
Climate
In Maroa, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Maroa has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 18° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
21″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter21–37°
Spring42–63°
Summer63–84°
Fall43–65°
Oct 24
typical first frost
Apr 14
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B−
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Maroa
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 52% of U.S. communities.
48risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesDrought
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsD
Maroa has set aside 0% of its land for conservation
0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,129 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Spencer Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Maroa
19pages on Maroa
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Maroa
Richland Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Decatur11 mi$4,680 in-state tuitionMillikin UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Decatur13.4 mi$26,892 tuition
About 3 of every 100 Maroa residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
A commuter town
94% of working residents leave Maroa for work
Where Maroa’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
206jobs based in Maroa
6%of working residents work in town
13 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Maroa
City in Illinois, United States
Maroa is a city in Macon County, Illinois, United States. Its population was 1,577 at the 2020 census, down from 1,801 in 2010. It is included in the Decatur, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 719 ft
- ZIP code
- 61756
- Area code
- 217
Questions about Maroa
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Maroa, 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−.
What is Maroa, IL known for?
2 notable people were born here, including E. V. Long and Franklin C. McLean.