Bluff Hall Evangelical Free Church, 2023
Payson Township’s story
189 years in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2023.
- 1837Payson Township is settled
Payson TownshipIL
4 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Gerry Dincher · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,695
2025 Census estimate · −3.3% since 2020
Median home value
$140K
Census ACS
Household income
$62K
median
Median age
41.6
years
Jobs based here
172
A commuter town
Is Payson Township a good place to live?
Payson Township’s best subject grade is an A for cost of living; its weakest is a D for walkability. On walkability, just 65 of Illinois’ 1,284 towns do worse. Payson Township’s median rent is $754 a month, below both Illinois’ towns ($1,129 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Payson Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Payson Township stand out
Where Payson Township beats most towns.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Payson Township for work
Where Payson Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
172jobs based in Payson Township
4%of working residents work in town
13 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Payson Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Payson Township is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.1 of 20; 0% of households have no car; 0.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $140K, 2.1 years of the Quincy area’s $65K median household incomeAOpen →SchoolsCOpen →Jobs & incomeCOpen →HealthBlessing Hospital 14.1 miles awayBOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 49% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0% conserved landC−Open →HistoryBOpen →Civic life2.1 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Payson Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Payson Township, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterPayson water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers89% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Payson 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 hereAdams County ClerkAdams County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes62360, 62365, 6234362360 72% · 62365 26% · 62343 2%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 Township.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
With 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of Payson Township’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Payson Township for work: only 4% work in town. At $62,000, Payson Township’s median household income is against $83,000 in Illinois’ towns and $80,000 across U.S. towns. Jobs based in Payson Township fell to 172 in 2023, 23 fewer than in 2013.
4%work in town
| Payson Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $62,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.2% | 8.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Payson Township4%
Quincy38%
Ellington Township10%
Melrose Township5%
Hannibal4%
13 mi
median commute distance
172
jobs based in Payson Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 8% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SchoolsC
On state tests, Payson Township’s schools trail 71% of Illinois districts
Its public schools are run by Payson CUSD 1. Its two schools are below.
29%of IL districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seymour Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 233 | C |
| Seymour High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 216 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
Climate
Payson Township has four seasons and pleasant summers
Payson Township has chilly winters and warm summers. The July high in Payson Township is 87°F.
17″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter22–39°
Spring43–63°
Summer64–85°
Fall45–66°
Oct 23
typical first frost
Apr 14
typical last frost
+0.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB
Residents of Payson Township are healthier than 58% of U.S. towns
Payson Township beats the Illinois average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 19% of Payson Township adults binge drink.
58%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Payson Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 37% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 35% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
5 better21 too close to call6 worse
| What stands out | Payson Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.7% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.6% | 13.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 7.6% |
Blessing Hospital
14.1 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B−
Moderate risk in Payson Township, with inland flooding at the top
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
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.1%conserved
0.1%
conserved · 23 of 24,372 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Plainville Park | — | 4 |
| 2. Ken Morgan Memorial Park | — | 4 |
| 3. Payson South Park | — | 1 |
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 Township. Close and well known come first.
11 mi CaveMark Twain Cave
11 mi MuseumMark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum
14 mi National Historic SiteNew Philadelphia National Historic Site
14 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 Township
18pages on Payson Township
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Payson Township
John Wood Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Quincy10.6 mi$5,700 in-state tuitionHannibal-LaGrange UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Hannibal, MO11.6 mi$26,880 tuitionBlessing Rieman College of Nursing and Health SciencesUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Quincy13.2 mi
About 1 of every 100 Payson Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
About Payson Township
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
Payson Township’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Payson Township.
Fall Creek TownshipBurton TownshipRichfield TownshipKinderhook TownshipPayson Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payson Township | — | — | A | — | C | B |
| Fall Creek Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Burton Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Richfield Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Kinderhook Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Payson Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Payson Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Fall Creek Township, Burton Township, Richfield Township and Kinderhook Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Payson Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Payson Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Payson Township, IL expensive?
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.