Oglesby Illinois Water Tower, 2007
Oglesby’s story
160 years in pictures
Census counts: 3,194 in 1910, 3,712 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 6 maps from 1893 on.
- 1866Oglesby is settled
OglesbyIL
A town of 3,618, settled in 1866. 67% more nonprofits per person than the typical Illinois town.
Population
3,618
2025 Census estimate · −2.4% since 2020
Typical home
$170K
+3.5% in a year
Household income
$76K
median
Median age
40.2
years
Jobs based here
1,423
Balanced
TownGrade
C+
#510 of 767 in IL
Is Oglesby a good place to live?
Oglesby gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $170K, 2.4 years of the Ottawa area’s $72K median household income. It grades C+ overall, ranked 510th of 767 in Illinois. Oglesby is home to Illinois Valley Community College. Oglesby’s property crime rate is 1.7 per 1,000 residents, where Illinois’ towns sit at 9.4 and U.S. towns at 11.5. Oglesby's schools rank behind 73% of the state's.
What makes Oglesby stand out
Where Oglesby beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Oglesby5.6
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical IL town3.4
Civic lifeA−
67% more nonprofits per person
than the typical Illinois town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
Typical home value
Oglesby$170K
Illinois$296K
Cost of livingB+
More affordable than 74% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
The college
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Illinois Valley Community College | 2,317 |
A college in town
2,317 college students
at Illinois Valley Community College
Students are 4% of residents.
College town
Illinois Valley Community College calls Oglesby home
College Scorecard · IPEDS
How Oglesby grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Oglesby is from typical.
Cost of livingB+Open →SchoolsCOpen →Jobs & income$76K median household income; 1,423 jobs based hereC+Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 39% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listBOpen →HealthOSF Saint Elizabeth Medical Center 3.7 miles awayBOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.3 of 20; 3.2% of households have no car; 1.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trailB−Open →History4 notable people born hereB−Open →Civic life3.5 library visits per resident; 5.6 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA−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 40.2; 26% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Oglesby: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Oglesby, and how to reach them.
PowerCity of OglesbyEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterOglesby water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet8 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Oglesby’s trash rules yet
SchoolsLaSalle-Peru Township High School District 120Oglesby Elementary School District 1252 districts serve Oglesby; 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 code6134861348 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 Oglesby.
HousingCost of living grade B+
Oglesby earns a B+ for cost of living
The median rent in Oglesby is $888 a month. The typical Oglesby home is worth about $170,000, up 3.5% in a year, 43% below the Illinois typical home.
$170KZillow home value
| Oglesby | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $888 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 75% | 73% |
Typical home value
Oglesby$170K
Illinois$296K
+3.5%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
#437for trails in IL
| Oglesby | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
1%
conserved · 33 of 3,177 acres
1.0 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. McPhedran Park | 0.4 mi | 8 |
| 2. Lehigh Mormorial Park | — | 12 |
| 3. Memorial Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Oglesby
Oglesby has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 15° and about 29 inches of snow falls in a winter.
29″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter19–35°
Spring39–62°
Summer61–83°
Fall42–64°
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+
Oglesby has 0.8 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Oglesby for work: only 10% work in town. Oglesby’s average trip to work is 23 minutes. The top destinations are Peru (16%), LaSalle (8%) and Ottawa (7%).
10%work in town
| Oglesby | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $76,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Oglesby10%
Peru16%
LaSalle8%
Ottawa7%
Chicago3%
13 mi
median commute distance
1,423
jobs based in Oglesby
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 46% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Low risk in Oglesby, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 61% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Oglesby.
39risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
2
paid flood claims since 1982
8
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Safety
Crime reported in Oglesby
Oglesby's reported crime rate is well below Illinois's. 4 violent crimes were reported in 2024.
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Oglesby1.1
Illinois2.9
U.S.3.6
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Oglesby1.7
Illinois17.7
U.S.17.7
4
violent crimes reported in 2024
6
property crimes reported in 2024
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
HealthB
Oglesby is healthier than 56% of U.S. towns
Oglesby beats the Illinois average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 19% of adults binge drink in Oglesby.
56%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Oglesby | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 37% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 13% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
0 better29 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Oglesby | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 7.8% | 6.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.3% | 7.6% |
| More adults with arthritis | 28.7% | 24.2% |
OSF Saint Elizabeth Medical Center
3.7 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
41st
percentile among IL towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Oglesby
20pages on Oglesby
The big questions
SchoolsCBehind 73% of IL districtsSafety1.1 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2024)HealthBBetter than IL on 0 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingB+$170K typical home · up 3.5% in a yearWork & commuteC+$76K median household income · 1,423 jobs hereNatural hazardsBFEMA risk higher than 39% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Oglesby
About 4 of every 100 Oglesby residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
Famous people from Oglesby
4 notable people were born in Oglesby.
About Oglesby
City in Illinois, United States
Oglesby is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,712 at the 2020 census, down from 3,791 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ottawa Micropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 627 ft
- ZIP code
- 61348
- Area code
- 815
Oglesby’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Oglesby.
LaSalle TownshipDeer Park TownshipOglesby
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oglesby | #510 | C+ | B+ | — | C | B |
| LaSalle Township | #600 | C | B+ | — | C− | B− |
| Deer Park Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Oglesby and LaSalle Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Deer Park Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Oglesby with a neighbor →
Questions about Oglesby
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Oglesby, IL a good place to live?
Oglesby grades C+ overall, better than 44% of U.S. towns and #510 of 767 in Illinois. It grades B for health and C for schools.
Is Oglesby, 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 B+.
What is Oglesby, IL known for?
4 notable people were born here, including Jim Bottomley and Bo Molenda.