Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ottawa is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, ranked 656th of 767 in Illinois, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is cost of living: a typical home costs about $216K, 3 years of the Ottawa area’s $72K median household income. Its lowest everyday mark is in incomes: the median household income is $71K, and 17% of residents live below the poverty line. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 7 places on the National Register. 27% of working residents work locally in Ottawa, against 8.3% in Illinois’ towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Only 52 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns score higher on history. Ottawa's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 91% of U.S. towns.
Where Ottawa beats most towns.
Census counts: 7,736 in 1870, 18,840 in 2020. The archive holds 15 old photos and papers going back to 1848 and 5 maps from 1892 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Ottawa is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ottawa, 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 Ottawa.
Ottawa trades workers with Chicago and other neighbors, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
11 miles of trail in 13 parks and preserves. Dayton Bluffs Preserve, at 258 acres with 7.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Ottawa’s trail density is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Ottawa | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.2% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dayton Bluffs Preserve | 7.3 mi | 258 |
| 2. Allen Park | 0.3 mi | 21 |
| 3. Lincoln-Douglas Park | — | 31 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
168 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 16 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 77% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 168 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ottawa.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Typical home values rose 5.6% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Ottawa is $920 a month.
| Ottawa | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $920 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Ottawa has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 16° and about 24 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Ottawa has about as many jobs (9,220) as working residents, but only 2,204 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Ottawa’s working residents works in town. 5.2% of Ottawa workers work from home. The top destinations are Chicago (4%), Peru (3%) and Peoria (3%).
| Ottawa | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 5.2% | 11% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $71,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Ottawa beats the Illinois average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 15% of adults report frequent physical distress in Ottawa.
| Ottawa | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Ottawa | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.7% | 6.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.3% | 10.3% |
| More smokers | 15.6% | 12.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Ottawa
About 3 of every 100 Ottawa residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
7 places in Ottawa on the National Register of Historic Places.
33 notable people were born in Ottawa.
City in Illinois, United States
Ottawa is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the confluence of the navigable Fox River and Illinois River, the latter being a conduit for river barges and connects Lake Michigan at Chicago to the Mississippi River. The population was 18,840 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Ottawa, Illinois, micropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Ottawa.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa | #656 | C− | B− | C+ | B− | C+ |
| Naplate | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ottawa Township | #613 | C | B | — | C+ | C+ |
| Wallace Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rutland Township | #519 | C+ | B− | — | C+ | B− |
| Dayton Township · Dayton | — | — | C+ | — | C+ | B− |
Dayton Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Ottawa Township, Rutland Township and Dayton Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Naplate and Wallace Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Dayton and Dayton Township are one community, graded once. Compare Ottawa with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ottawa grades C− overall, better than 20% of U.S. towns and #656 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C+ for health, C+ for safety and B− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
33 notable people were born here, including Terrence Malick and Bob McGrath.
