Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
McLeansboro gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $108K, 1.6 years of the county’s $66K median household income. It grades B+ overall, 343rd among Illinois's 767 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 91% of the country. On the plus side, crime is low: it reports less per resident than 87% of U.S. towns. 22% of residents live below the poverty line in McLeansboro, against 8.4% in Illinois’ towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. McLeansboro has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Aaron G. Cloud House and Cloud State Bank. Among 748 Illinois towns, just 5 have a lower median rent than McLeansboro.
Where McLeansboro beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far McLeansboro is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for cost of living (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D for health (better than 9%), so the B+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 221 in 1850, 2,675 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1884 and 2 maps from 1942 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in McLeansboro, 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 McLeansboro.
McLeansboro trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and trades workers with Mount Vernon and other neighbors.
Homes are within reach (about $108K for the typical one, A+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 25 miles. At 1.6 years of the county’s $66K median household income, the typical home (about $108K) costs less against local pay than in 91% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to its A+ for cost of living.
62% of McLeansboro households own their home. Typical home values fell 5.6% in the year to September 2026.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2.2 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Hamilton County Fair Grounds, at 32 acres.
| McLeansboro | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.8% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hamilton County Fair Grounds | — | 32 |
| 2. Greg James Memorial Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 4,156 U.S. towns with household incomes like McLeansboro’s, it is less healthy than 69%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
18% of adults report frequent physical distress in McLeansboro. Only 6 of the 767 Illinois towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than McLeansboro. 26% of adults say their health is fair or poor in McLeansboro.
| McLeansboro | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 11% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 18% | 19% |
| What stands out | McLeansboro | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.5% | 75.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.2% | 6.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
McLeansboro has chilly winters and warm summers. The July high in McLeansboro is 88°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 67% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
McLeansboro has about as many jobs (1,012) as working residents, but only 261 people both live and work here. Jobs based here fell from 1,306 in 2013 to 1,012.
About one in 4 of McLeansboro’s working residents works in town. McLeansboro’s median household income is $45,000. Jobs based in McLeansboro fell to 1,012 in 2023, 294 fewer than in 2013.
| McLeansboro | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 25% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $45,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of McLeansboro; the nearest are
About 10 of every 100 McLeansboro residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
4 places in McLeansboro on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in McLeansboro.
City in Illinois, United States
McLeansboro () is a city and the county seat of Hamilton County, Illinois, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,675 at the 2020 census. McLeansboro is part of the Mount Vernon, Illinois micropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. McLeansboro grades B+ overall, better than 69% of U.S. towns and #343 of 767 in Illinois. It grades D for health, A for safety and B− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
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+.
7 notable people were born here, including Jerry Sloan and John Henry Stelle.
