Church, 2010
Pana Township’s story
181 years in pictures
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.
- 1845Pana Township is settled
Pana TownshipIL
5 bordering townsMap →
Photo: DianePearse69 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
5,826
2025 Census estimate · −3.3% since 2020
Median home value
$85K
Census ACS
Household income
$47K
median
Median age
42.7
years
Jobs based here
1,819
A commuter town
Is Pana Township a good place to live?
The biggest park or preserve is Kitchell Park, at 37 acres. We don’t grade Pana Township yet; the figures below are still real.
What makes Pana Township stand out
Where Pana Township beats most towns.
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Pana Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pana Township, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterEJ Water CooperativeNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet10 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Pana Township’s trash rules yet
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 hereChristian County ClerkChristian County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code6255762557 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 Pana Township.
Work & commute
Most of Pana Township’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.7 jobs for each of them
Half the trips to work are shorter than 33 miles. Pana Township: just over a fifth of working residents work locally, where Illinois’ towns sit at 8.3% and U.S. towns at 8%. Its typical journey to work is 20 minutes. Jobs based in the town fell to 1,819 in 2023, 279 fewer than in 2013.
22%work in town
| Pana Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 22% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Pana Township22%
Pana20%
Decatur8%
Springfield8%
Assumption7%
33 mi
median commute distance
1,819
jobs based in Pana Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Schools
The schools Pana Township’s kids attend
The largest public high school is Pana Sr High School, with 404 students. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Its public schools are run by Pana CUSD 8.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pana Elem SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 507 | B+ |
| Pana Sr High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 404 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts
Climate
Pana Township: four seasons and pleasant summers
The peak summer temperature for Pana Township comes to 86°F, above Illinois’ towns (84°F) and close to U.S. towns (85°F).
15″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter23–39°
Spring43–64°
Summer64–85°
Fall45–66°
Oct 23
typical first frost
Apr 17
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
Pana Township stands out in Illinois and nationally: a larger share of its adults report frequent physical distress
24% of Pana Township adults have been diagnosed with depression. Against the Illinois average, Pana Township comes out ahead on 1 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 16. Among adults locally, 19% smoke cigarettes and 41% have high blood pressure.
| Pana Township | 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) | 41% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 11% | 12% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
1 better15 too close to call16 worse
| What stands out | Pana Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.6% | 75.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.3% | 6.3% |
Pana Community Hospital
1.8 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazards
Pana Township faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by cold waves
On expected storm and flood damage, Pana Township sits below nearly three fifths of U.S. communities. 30% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from cold waves, followed by inland flooding at 27%.
41risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland floodingEarthquakes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Outdoors
Protected land: 0.2% of Pana Township
There are 5.2 miles of trail across 4 parks and preserves. Pana Township’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile.
0.2%conserved
| Pana Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.2% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
0.2%
conserved · 70 of 31,365 acres
5.2 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kitchell Park | 0.4 mi | 37 |
| 2. Tanner Park | — | 10 |
| 3. Kehias Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Pana Township
18pages on Pana Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Pana Township; the nearest are
Millikin UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Decatur30.7 mi$26,892 tuitionRichland Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Decatur34.6 mi$4,680 in-state tuitionUniversity of Illinois SpringfieldUniversity or college · Public · Springfield35.9 mi$12,252 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Pana Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
About Pana Township
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)
- Established
- 1845
- Area
- 4.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 699 ft
- ZIP code
- 62557
- Area code
- 217
Pana Township’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Pana Township.
Tower Hill TownshipOconee TownshipPanaAssumption TownshipRosamond TownshipPana Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pana Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tower Hill Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oconee Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pana | #436 | B | A | A− | B− | D |
| Assumption Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rosamond Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Pana Township, Tower Hill Township, Oconee Township, Assumption Township and Rosamond Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Pana Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Pana Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Pana Township, IL a good place to live?
We don’t grade Pana Township yet; the figures below are still real.