Olive BranchIL
The town was settled in 1876 and has 499 residents today.
Is Olive Branch a good place to live?
30% of residents live below the poverty line in Olive Branch, above both Illinois’ towns (8.4%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Of the 769 Illinois towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Olive Branch. The biggest park or preserve is Horseshoe Lake Conservation Area, at 189 acres. Olive Branch has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
499 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Olive Branch.
A home in Olive Branch is worth about $83K, on Zillow’s estimate
The share of households in Olive Branch who own their home: 89%.
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Olive Branch stands out in Illinois and nationally: the FEMA risk score there is higher
Of the losses FEMA expects in Olive Branch, 43% come from inland flooding and 24% from earthquakes. Federal aid has come to Olive Branch households in 2 declared disasters; the latest was in 2011. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 93% of U.S. communities.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
With 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of Olive Branch’s workers commute out
Only 3% of working residents stay in Olive Branch for work; the rest commute out. For Olive Branch, the average commute is 29 minutes. The median commute is under 19 miles. The top destinations are Cape Girardeau (17%), Cairo (5%) and Anna (4%).
| Olive Branch | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.5% | 8.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
A typical July afternoon in Olive Branch is hotter than in most of Illinois or the rest of the country
Olive Branch brings chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 26° and about 7 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Conservation land takes up 9.9% of Olive Branch
Count the trails in 1 park or preserve and they come to 0.2 miles.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Horseshoe Lake Conservation Area | — | 189 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
How healthy Olive Branch is
For adults in Olive Branch, the share who say their health is fair or poor is 26%. CDC measures, 32 in all: Olive Branch beats Illinois on 1 and trails on 20. Among adults locally, 20% smoke cigarettes and 43% have high blood pressure.
| Olive Branch | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Olive Branch | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.9% | 75.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.1% | 6.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Olive Branch
Moving to Olive Branch: who provides what
Olive Branch is unincorporated, so Alexander County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
97% of working residents leave Olive Branch for work
Where Olive Branch’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Olive Branch
About 9 of every 100 Olive Branch residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
About Olive Branch
Census-designated place in Illinois, United States
Olive Branch is a census-designated place in Olive Branch and Sandusky precincts, Alexander County, Illinois, United States. It has a post office with the ZIP code 62969. Its population was 650 at the 2020 census. Olive Branch is part of the Cape Girardeau–Jackson, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 9.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 341 ft
- ZIP code
- 62969
- Area code
- 618
Questions about Olive Branch
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Olive Branch, IL a good place to live?
Olive Branch has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
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