Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Pana gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $111K, 1.8 years of the Taylorville area’s $63K median household income. It grades B overall, 436th of 767 graded towns in Illinois. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $46K, and 13% of residents live below the poverty line, and residents are less healthy than 87% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, crime is low: it reports less per resident than 75% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 92% of U.S. towns, with 2 places on the National Register. Only 84 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns score higher on history. Pana’s average trip to work is 19 minutes, against 26 minutes in Illinois’ towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Pana is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 76% of U.S. towns.
Where Pana beats most towns.
Kitchell Park5,847 counted in 2010 and 5,199 in 2020; an estimated 5,010 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 3.5% since 2020, after 11.1% in the decade before.
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 Pana is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,207 in 1870, 5,199 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 3 maps from 1947 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pana, 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 Pana.
Pana trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has household incomes well below the Illinois norm.
Homes are within reach (about $111K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 33 miles. At 1.8 years of the Taylorville area’s $63K median household income, the typical home (about $111K) costs less against local pay than in 85% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
Pana’s median rent is $684 a month. The typical Pana home is worth about $111,000, up 2.9% in a year, 62% below the Illinois typical home. 65% of Pana households own their home.
| Pana | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $684 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 65% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 4,402 U.S. towns with household incomes like Pana’s, it is less healthy than 58%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
17% of adults report frequent physical distress in Pana. Pana beats the Illinois average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16. 25% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Pana.
| Pana | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 35% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 18% | 19% |
| What stands out | Pana | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.6% | 75.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.6% | 6.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime is rare: 0 reported in 2025, 0 per 1,000 residents.
The violent crime rate in Pana is 0 per 1,000 residents.
| Pana | 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) | 8.2 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The average commute for its 2,213 working residents takes 18.9 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
About one in 5 of Pana’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Pana has lost 332 jobs, to 1,623 in 2023. The top destinations are Decatur (8%), Springfield (8%) and Shelbyville (7%).
| Pana | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 21% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Pana has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 20° and about 15 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 59% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.4 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Kitchell Park, at 38 acres.
| Pana | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.7% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kitchell Park | 0.4 mi | 38 |
| 2. Tanner Park | — | 10 |
| 3. Kehias Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Pana; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Pana residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
2 places in Pana on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 notable people were born in Pana.
Town in Illinois, United States
Pana is a small town in Christian County, Illinois, United States. A small portion is in Shelby County. The population was 5,199 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Pana.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pana · Pana Township | #436 | B | A | A− | B− | D |
| Tower Hill Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Tower Hill Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Pana Township and Pana are one community, graded once. Compare Pana with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Pana grades B overall, better than 56% of U.S. towns and #436 of 767 in Illinois. It grades D for health, A− for safety and B− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
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.
12 notable people were born here, including Garet Garrett and Charles Henderson.
