Penfield Elevators, Front Street
Penfield’s story
150 years in pictures
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers and 3 maps from 1936 on.
- 1876Penfield is settled
PenfieldIL
A town of 190, settled in 1876.
Population
190
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$96K
Census ACS
Household income
$97K
median
Median age
52.7
years
Jobs based here
13
A commuter town
Is Penfield a good place to live?
2% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Penfield, where Illinois’ towns sit at 29% and U.S. towns at 29%. Penfield has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
190 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
Moving to Penfield: who provides what
Penfield is unincorporated, so Champaign County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterPenfield Pwd water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesChampaign CountyChampaign County provides services here
SchoolsArmstrong Township High School District 225Gifford Community Consolidated School District 1882 districts serve Penfield; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
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 hereChampaign County ClerkChampaign County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code6186261862 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 Penfield.
Work & commute
With 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of Penfield’s workers commute out
The top destinations are Champaign (22%), Urbana (15%) and Rantoul (13%). Half of commuters travel less than 19 miles. Among residents in Penfield, 12% live below the poverty line.
0%work in town
| Penfield | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Penfield0%
Champaign22%
Urbana15%
Rantoul13%
Gifford7%
19 mi
median commute distance
13
jobs based in Penfield
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Penfield
July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 17° and about 20 inches of snow falls in a winter.
20″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter20–37°
Spring40–63°
Summer62–84°
Fall43–65°
Oct 18
typical first frost
Apr 21
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Penfield is
Against the Illinois average, Penfield comes out ahead on 5 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 6. For adults here, the share who have been diagnosed with depression is 24%.
| Penfield | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 22% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 35% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 16% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
5 better21 too close to call6 worse
| What stands out | Penfield | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.4% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.9% | 15.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.1% | 7.6% |
Carle Hoopeston Regional Health Center
18.4 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
Moderate risk in Penfield, with inland flooding at the top
Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 57% of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Penfield once, in 2013.
43risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesDrought
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Nearby attractions
All 25 attractions →American Football House and 11 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Penfield. Close and well known come first.
20 mi LandmarkAmerican Football House
21 mi Stadium & arenaGies Memorial Stadium
11 mi MuseumOctave Chanute Aerospace Museum
20 mi TheatreKrannert Center for the Performing Arts
37 mi MuseumMonticello Railway Museum21 mi MuseumKrannert Art MuseumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
American Football House: BanjoZebra, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gies Memorial Stadium: T.J. Blakeman, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Krannert Center for the Performing Arts: Aries Liang, Public domain · Monticello Railway Museum: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Penfield
16pages on Penfield
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Penfield; the nearest are
Lakeview College of NursingUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Danville19.5 miUniversity of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignUniversity or college · Public · Champaign20.4 mi$16,004 in-state tuitionParkland CollegeCommunity college · Public · Champaign21.8 mi$4,284 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Penfield residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Penfield for work
Where Penfield’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
13jobs based in Penfield
0%of working residents work in town
19 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Penfield
Census-designated place in Illinois, United States
Penfield is an unincorporated census-designated place in Compromise Township, Champaign County, Illinois, United States. Its population was 151 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 712 ft
- ZIP code
- 61862
- Area code
- 217
Questions about Penfield
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Penfield, IL a good place to live?
Penfield has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.