Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,708, settled in 1848. 4 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Illinois town.
The best of Orion’s subject grades are an A+ for safety and an A− for cost of living and schools. Only 13 of Illinois’ 405 towns score higher on safety. Orion's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 100% of U.S. towns. Orion has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Music Pavilion. Orion has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Orion beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Orion is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 604 in 1880, 1,754 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1913 and 4 maps from 1937 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Orion, 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 Orion.
Orion’s property crime rate is 0 per 1,000 residents, where Illinois’ towns sit at 7.9 and U.S. towns at 9.9.
| Orion | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 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
Orion beats the Illinois average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 19% of adults binge drink in Orion, against 18% in Illinois’ towns and 16% across U.S. towns. 33% of Orion adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Orion | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 35% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 23% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 9% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Orion | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9% | 15.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.8% | 9.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Orion home is worth about $224,000, up 6.7% in a year, 24% below the Illinois typical home. Orion’s median rent is $833 a month.
| Orion | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $833 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Orion has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 15° and about 36 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Orion for work: only 13% work in town. Since 2013, Orion has added 129 jobs, to 647 in 2023. 5.2% of residents live below the poverty line in Orion.
| Orion | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 5.2% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 7.9% | 11% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 8.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (23% statewide). Orion has lost 2.8% of its people since 2020, down to 1,708 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 31% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 38% across Illinois.
| Orion | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 19% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 24% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 38.4 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 31% | 29% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.8 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Orion | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.1% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.9% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.5% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 18.7% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.7% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.9% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.3% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.2% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.8% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 27.2% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15.8% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.5% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.6% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,700, single groups can be off by several points
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 55% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Love Park | — | 11 |
| 2. Central Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Orion. Close and well known come first.
14 mi Ancient siteRock Island Arsenal
13 mi MuseumBlack Hawk State Historic Site
16 mi MuseumFigge Art Museum77K visitors a year7 mi Zoo & aquariumNiabi Zoo
17 mi MuseumPutnam Museum
17 mi GardenVander Veer Botanical ParkRock Island Arsenal: Robert A, Ryan, J. Ceronia, and Bruce A. Harms, Photographers, Public domain · Black Hawk State Historic Site: Bill Whittaker (talk). Original uploader was Billwhittaker at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Figge Art Museum: Ctjf83, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Putnam Museum: Ctjf83 of English Wikipedia (log), Public domain · Vander Veer Botanical Park: David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Orion
About 5 of every 100 Orion residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
2 places in Orion on the National Register of Historic Places.
Village in Illinois, United States
Orion ( OR-ee-on) is a village in Henry County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,754 at the 2020 census. It is the site for transmitters for many of the Quad Cities' radio and television stations, including KLJB, KWQC-TV, WMWC-TV, WQAD-TV, WQPT-TV and KQIN. FM radio station transmitters include WLKU and WXLP.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
4 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Illinois town.
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−.
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