Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Mount Carroll’s best subject grades are an A− for cost of living and walkability and an A+ for history; its weakest is a C− for schools. Among 769 Illinois towns, just 6 have a lower January low than Mount Carroll. Mount Carroll’s median rent is $785 a month, where Illinois’ towns sit at $1,129 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. On history, just 8 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do better. Mount Carroll's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 97% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Point Rock Park, at 25 acres. Mount Carroll has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Mount Carroll beats most towns.
Carroll County Courthouse1,717 counted in 2010 and 1,479 in 2020; an estimated 1,432 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Mount Carroll is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1906.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mount Carroll, 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 Mount Carroll.
The typical Mount Carroll home is worth about $149,000, up 10.8% in a year, 50% below the Illinois typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
For Mount Carroll, that is above both the Illinois town median (8.4%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Most working residents leave Mount Carroll for work: only 14% work in town. Jobs based in Mount Carroll fell to 405 in 2023, 87 fewer than in 2013.
| Mount Carroll | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 8.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Mount Carroll has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 13° and about 33 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The violent crime rate in Mount Carroll is 0 per 1,000 residents.
| Mount Carroll | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.5 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Mount Carroll beats the Illinois average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 41% of adults have high blood pressure in Mount Carroll.
| Mount Carroll | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 35% | 36% |
| What stands out | Mount Carroll | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.6% | 13.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.4% | 9.9% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.1% | 5.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1990, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Mount Carroll.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Point Rock Park | — | 25 |
| 2. Stone House Memorial Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Mount Carroll; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Mount Carroll residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
4 places in Mount Carroll on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Mount Carroll.
City in Illinois, United States
Mount Carroll is a city in and the county seat of Carroll County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,479 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.
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−.
6 notable people were born here, including Edward Alphonso Goldman and Neta Snook Southern.
