Bluff Hall Evangelical Free Church, 2023
Payson’s story
189 years in pictures
Census counts: 465 in 1900, 1,025 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2023 and 2 maps from 1925 on.
- 1837Payson is settled
PaysonIL
Photo: Gerry Dincher · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
994
2025 Census estimate · −3.1% since 2020
Typical home
$167K
+2.3% in a year
Household income
$60K
median
Median age
35.8
years
Jobs based here
114
A commuter town
Is Payson a good place to live?
Payson’s median rent is $768 a month, below both the Illinois town median ($1,129 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Payson has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Payson stand out
Where Payson beats most towns.
Small town
994 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Payson: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Payson, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterPayson water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Payson’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 hereAdams County ClerkAdams County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code6236062360 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 Payson.
Housing
A typical Payson home is worth about $167K
The typical Payson home is worth about $167,000, up 2.3% in a year, 44% below the Illinois typical home. 83% of Payson households own their home, against 75% in Illinois’ towns and 73% across U.S. towns.
$167KZillow home value
Typical home value
Payson$167K
Illinois$296K
+2.3%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commute
Most of Payson’s workers commute out: the town has 0.2 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Payson for work: only 3% work in town. The median household income in Payson is $60,000. The top destinations are Quincy (36%), Ellington Township (11%) and Melrose Township (5%).
3%work in town
| Payson | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $60,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.9% | 8.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Payson3%
Quincy36%
Ellington Township11%
Melrose Township5%
Springfield5%
12 mi
median commute distance
114
jobs based in Payson
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Payson has four seasons and pleasant summers
Payson has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 19° and about 17 inches of snow falls in a winter.
17″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter22–38°
Spring43–63°
Summer65–85°
Fall45–65°
Oct 23
typical first frost
Apr 14
typical last frost
+0.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Payson is
Payson beats the Illinois average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 21% of adults binge drink in Payson.
| Payson | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 78% | 79% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.9% | 11% | 12% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
6 better25 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Payson | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.1% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.8% | 15.9% |
| More adults with depression | 23.7% | 19.8% |
Blessing Hospital
11.6 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
Payson faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 51% of U.S. communities.
49risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesHeat waves
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 745 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ken Morgan Memorial Park | — | 4 |
| 2. Payson South Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 6 attractions →Mark Twain Cave and 3 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Payson. Close and well known come first.
10 mi CaveMark Twain Cave
9 mi MuseumMark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum
17 mi National Historic SiteNew Philadelphia National Historic Site
11 mi MuseumJohn Wood MansionSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Mark Twain Cave: Jonathunder, GFDL 1.2 · Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum: Jonathunder, GFDL 1.2 · New Philadelphia National Historic Site: Nyttend, Public domain · John Wood Mansion: Smallbones, Public domain
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Payson
18pages on Payson
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Payson
John Wood Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Quincy8.3 mi$5,700 in-state tuitionHannibal-LaGrange UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Hannibal, MO9.9 mi$26,880 tuitionBlessing Rieman College of Nursing and Health SciencesUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Quincy11 mi
About 2 of every 100 Payson residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Payson for work
Where Payson’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
114jobs based in Payson
3%of working residents work in town
12 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
Famous people from Payson
3 notable people were born in Payson.
About Payson
Village in Illinois, US
Payson is a village in Adams County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,025 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Quincy, IL–MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 745 ft
- ZIP code
- 62360
Questions about Payson
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Payson, IL a good place to live?
Payson has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What is Payson, IL known for?
3 notable people were born here, including Ralph Works and Anna Kay Scott.