MendotaDepot, 1889
Mendota’s story
173 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,934 in 1860, 7,061 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1876 and 3 maps from 1952 on.
- 1853Mendota is settled
MendotaIL
A town of 6,894, settled in 1853.
Population
6,894
2025 Census estimate · −2.3% since 2020
Typical home
$176K
+2.5% in a year
Household income
$52K
median
Median age
37.8
years
Jobs based here
2,380
Balanced
TownGrade
B
#382 of 767 in IL
Is Mendota a good place to live?
Mendota gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $176K, 2.4 years of the Ottawa area’s $72K median household income. It grades B overall, ranked 382nd of 767 in Illinois. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $52K, and 14% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, crime is low: it reports less per resident than 84% of U.S. towns. On hazard risk, just 21 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do better. The biggest place to walk is Mendota Lake Park, 212 acres with 1.3 miles of trail. Mendota's schools rank behind 68% of the state's.
What makes Mendota stand out
Where Mendota beats most towns.
Natural hazardsA
Lower risk than 86% of U.S. communities
Very low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Mendota0.6
Illinois2.6
U.S.3.3
SafetyA−
77% less violent crime than IL
FBI data, 2025. Crimes reported to police.
Typical home value
Mendota$176K
Illinois$296K
Cost of livingA−
More affordable than 78% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
How Mendota grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Mendota is from typical.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listAOpen →SafetyA−Open →Cost of livingA−Open →Jobs & incomeC−Open →SchoolsCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 8.1 of 20; 9.9% of households have no car; 2.2% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →HealthOSF Saint Paul Medical Center 1.2 miles awayC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors3 miles of trails; 3% conserved landA−Open →History10 notable people born hereC+Open →Civic life3.6 library visits per resident; 5 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC+Open →
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 37.8; 22% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Mendota: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mendota, and how to reach them.
PowerCommonwealth Edison17.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterMendota water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Mendota’s trash rules yet
SchoolsMendota Community Consolidated School District 289Mendota Township High School District 2802 districts serve Mendota; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
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 hereLaSalle County ClerkLaSalle County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP code6134261342 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 Mendota.
Mendota trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Illinois (mostly inland flooding) and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
#248for trails in IL
| Mendota | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.4% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
3.4%
conserved · 113 of 3,323 acres
2.8 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mendota Lake Park | 1.3 mi | 212 |
| 2. Strouss Park | — | 12 |
| 3. Blackstone Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
SafetyA−
For safety, Mendota earns an A−
Violent crime is rare: 4 reported in 2025, 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
At 3 per 1,000 residents, Mendota’s property crime rate is against 7.9 in Illinois’ towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns. Mendota’s violent crime rate is 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
84%of U.S. towns report more crimeA−Safety Grade
| Mendota | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Mendota0.6
Illinois2.6
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Mendota3
Illinois15.6
U.S.15.5
84th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
83rd
percentile among IL towns
4
violent crimes reported in 2025
21
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
Very low risk in Mendota, with inland flooding at the top
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 96% of Illinois towns; that rating is what its A for hazard risk is built on.
At 14 of 100, Mendota’s FEMA risk score is where Illinois’ towns sit at 50 of 100 and U.S. towns at 44 of 100. Since 1978, 36 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Mendota.
14risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
36
paid flood claims since 1978
6
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HousingCost of living grade A−
For cost of living, Mendota earns an A−
Homes are within reach (about $176K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles.
The median rent in Mendota is $773 a month. The typical Mendota home is worth about $176,000, up 2.5% in a year, 41% below the Illinois typical home. 62% of households own their home in Mendota.
$176KZillow home value
| Mendota | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $773 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Mendota$176K
Illinois$296K
+2.5%
value change, 1 year
2
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Mendota has four seasons and pleasant summers
Mendota has cold winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 14° and about 25 inches of snow falls in a winter.
25″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter18–33°
Spring38–60°
Summer61–82°
Fall41–62°
Oct 18
typical first frost
Apr 24
typical last frost
+1.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
Most of Mendota’s workers commute out: the town has 0.8 jobs for each of them
Jobs based here fell from 3,040 in 2013 to 2,380. The average commute for its 3,173 working residents takes 19.9 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
About one in 4 of Mendota’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Mendota fell to 2,380 in 2023, 660 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Peru (8%), Chicago (5%) and Ottawa (3%).
25%work in town
| Mendota | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 25% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Mendota25%
Peru8%
Chicago5%
Ottawa3%
LaSalle3%
21 mi
median commute distance
2,380
jobs based in Mendota
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 63% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthC+
On CDC estimates, Mendota is less healthy than 61% of U.S. towns
Against the 6,338 U.S. towns with household incomes like Mendota’s, it is healthier than 75%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Mendota beats the Illinois average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 13% of Mendota adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance.
39%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Mendota | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 7.9% | 8.1% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 19% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
0 better24 too close to call8 worse
| What stands out | Mendota | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.1% | 6.3% |
| More uninsured adults | 12.7% | 9.9% |
| More adults with heart disease | 7.5% | 5.9% |
OSF Saint Paul Medical Center
1.2 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
26th
percentile among IL towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Mendota
20pages on Mendota
The big questions
SchoolsCBehind 68% of IL districtsSafetyA−0.6 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthC+Better than IL on 0 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingA−$176K typical home · up 2.5% in a yearWork & commuteC−$52K median household income · 2,380 jobs hereNatural hazardsAFEMA risk higher than 14% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Mendota; the nearest are
Illinois Valley Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Oglesby17.2 mi$4,200 in-state tuitionNorthern Illinois UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Dekalb31.2 mi$13,248 in-state tuition
About 6 of every 100 Mendota residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
Famous people from Mendota
10 notable people were born in Mendota.
Mendota’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Mendota.
Mendota TownshipMeriden TownshipMendota
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mendota · Mendota Township | #382 | B | A− | A− | C | C+ |
| Meriden Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Meriden Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Mendota Township and Mendota are one community, graded once. Compare Mendota with a neighbor →
Questions about Mendota
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Mendota, IL a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Mendota grades B overall, better than 62% of U.S. towns and #382 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C+ for health, A− for safety and C for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Mendota, 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 Mendota, IL known for?
10 notable people were born here, including Belle Johnson and Bill Brown.