Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
2.2 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Illinois town.
Trash day: look up yoursFor most people who can afford it, yes. Monticello grades B+ overall, ranked 293rd of 767 in Illinois. The median household earns $99K. Its public schools beat 86% of Illinois towns on state tests and graduation and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 79% of the country. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $290K, 4.4 years of the Champaign metro’s $66K median household income. On civic life, just 72 of Illinois’ 1,240 towns do better. 23% of working residents work locally in Monticello, above both the Illinois town median (8.3%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). On history, just 124 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do better.
Where Monticello beats most towns.
North State Street Historic DistrictEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Monticello is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 163 in 1850, 5,941 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1923 and 3 maps from 1937 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Monticello. Close and well known come first.
19 mi Stadium & arenaGies Memorial Stadium
20 mi LandmarkAmerican Football House
in town MuseumMonticello Railway Museum
5 mi GardenRobert Allerton Park
29 mi MuseumOctave Chanute Aerospace Museum
19 mi TheatreKrannert Center for the Performing ArtsGies Memorial Stadium: T.J. Blakeman, CC BY-SA 4.0 · American Football House: BanjoZebra, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Monticello Railway Museum: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Robert Allerton Park: D. Finnigan, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Krannert Center for the Performing Arts: Aries Liang, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Monticello, 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 Monticello.
15% of adults report frequent mental distress in Monticello. Monticello beats the Illinois average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 31% of adults feel lonely in Monticello.
| Monticello | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 9.1% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 23% | 25% |
| What stands out | Monticello | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.1% | 15.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.8% | 9.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.9% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1993, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Monticello.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Monticello has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 18° and about 18 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here grew from 1,698 in 2013 to 2,216.
About one in 4 of Monticello’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Monticello has added 518 jobs, to 2,216 in 2023. 5.7% of Monticello residents live below the poverty line.
| Monticello | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $99,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.7% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Monticello's reported crime rate is well below Illinois's. The property crime rate in Monticello is 2.3 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Monticello | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.3 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
People 65 and older are 22% of residents (17% statewide). Monticello’s median age is 43.8 years. Monticello has grown 2.3% since 2020, to 6,080 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Monticello | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 29% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 19% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 43.8 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.9 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Monticello | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.5% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.2% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.4% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.5% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.5% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.9% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.9% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.1% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.3% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.6% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.8% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.6% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.1% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.6% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
| Monticello | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.6% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Piatt County Museum | — | 3 |
| 2. Nick's Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Typical home values rose 5.5% in the year to September 2026.
| Monticello | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 83% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,379 a month | $1,128 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Monticello; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Monticello residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
3 places in Monticello on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Monticello.
City in Illinois, United States
Monticello ( MON-tiss-EL-oh) is a city in and the county seat of Piatt County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,941 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Monticello grades B+ overall, better than 74% of U.S. towns and #293 of 767 in Illinois. It grades A− for health and A for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
4 notable people were born here, including Rolla Coral McMillen and George Nonte.
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.JPG){kind=link}
