Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
2.4 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Illinois town.
McLeansboro Township gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $90K for a typical one, or 1.4 years of the county’s $66K median household income. It grades B− overall, 454th among Illinois's 767 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 82% of the country. 24% of working residents work locally in McLeansboro Township, above both the Illinois town median (8.3%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). McLeansboro Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 87% of U.S. towns. Only 5 of the 748 Illinois towns we compare have a lower median rent than McLeansboro Township.
Where McLeansboro Township beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far McLeansboro Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 221 in 1850, 2,675 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1884 and 2 maps from 1942 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in McLeansboro 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 McLeansboro Township.
Against the 6,729 U.S. towns with household incomes like McLeansboro Township’s, it is less healthy than 62%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
16% of adults report frequent physical distress in McLeansboro Township. McLeansboro Township beats the Illinois average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 18% of adults smoke cigarettes in McLeansboro Township.
| McLeansboro Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | McLeansboro Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.1% | 75.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.9% | 6.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by Hamilton Co CUSD 10. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Hamilton County Jr/Sr High School, with 480 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Side Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 384 | B+ |
| Hamilton County Jr/Sr High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 480 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
McLeansboro Township has chilly winters and warm summers. McLeansboro Township’s July high 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
About one in 4 of McLeansboro Township’s working residents works in town. 17% of McLeansboro Township residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in McLeansboro Township fell to 1,137 in 2023, 241 fewer than in 2013.
| McLeansboro Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
3.9 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is Hamilton County Fair Grounds, at 31 acres.
| McLeansboro Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.1% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hamilton County Fair Grounds | — | 31 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of McLeansboro Township; the nearest are
About 9 of every 100 McLeansboro Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
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)
4 towns share a border with McLeansboro Township.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McLeansboro Township | #454 | B− | A+ | — | B− | C− |
| Knight Prairie Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Crook Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Twigg Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| South Crouch Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
McLeansboro Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Knight Prairie Township, Crook Township, Twigg Township and South Crouch Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare McLeansboro Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
McLeansboro Township grades B− overall, better than 54% of U.S. towns and #454 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C− for health and B− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
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+.