Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For a city of 110,920, Peoria does unevenly: it grades C−, ranked 681st of 767 in Illinois. It is more walkable than 88% of U.S. towns. The trade-off: its crime rate is higher than 98% of U.S. towns, with 1,392 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 97% of U.S. towns, with 26 places on the National Register. 47% of working residents work locally in Peoria, above both the Illinois town median (8.3%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Illinois Waterway Project Office and Peoria City Hall. On the outdoors, just 99 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do better.
Where Peoria beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Its founding year, 1680, is the earliest of any Illinois town we grade. Its 26 National Register listings are more than in 97% of Illinois towns with a listing.
Census counts: 1,467 in 1840, 113,150 in 2020. The archive holds 21 old photos and papers going back to 1857 and 7 maps from 1905 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Peoria is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Peoria, 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 Peoria.
Peoria draws workers from East Peoria and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at 5 times the Illinois rate.
Violent crime runs at 12.5 per 1,000 residents, 5 times the Illinois rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Property crime runs at 39.1 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Illinois rate, most of it theft.
Peoria’s violent crime rate is 12.5 per 1,000 residents. Among 357 Illinois towns, just 5 have a higher property crime rate than Peoria. Peoria reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 98% report less.
| Peoria | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.5 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 39.1 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
75,989 jobs are based in Peoria, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 17.9 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
21% of residents live below the poverty line in Peoria. Jobs based in Peoria grew to 75,989 in 2023, 4,705 more than in 2013. The average trip to work in Peoria is 18 minutes.
| Peoria | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
34 miles of trail in 45 parks and preserves. Detweiller Park, at 502 acres with 4.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Detweiller Park | 4.8 mi | 502 |
| 2. Robinson Park South | 3.5 mi | 369 |
| 3. Forest Park | 3 mi | 290 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 1.9 years of the Peoria metro’s $72K median household income, the typical home (about $136K) costs less against local pay than in 82% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to its C+ for cost of living.
The typical Peoria home is worth about $136,000, up 5.2% in a year, 54% below the Illinois typical home. 58% of Peoria households own their home.
| Peoria | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,005 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 50% | 46% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
345 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 32 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 69% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 345 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Peoria.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Peoria has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 17° and about 26 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 35 to 64 are 34% of residents (39% statewide). Peoria has lost 2% of its people since 2020, down to 110,920 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 38% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 38% across Illinois.
| Peoria | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 35.5 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 29% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 24% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 19% | 18% |
52.1% women, 47.9% men
About 92 men for every 100 women. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 36.6, men 34.4.
| Peoria | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.8% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.6% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.7% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.3% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.5% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.1% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.2% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.7% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.1% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.8% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.7% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.3% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.6% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.9% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.7% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Against the 8,755 U.S. towns with household incomes like Peoria’s, it is healthier than 66%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Peoria beats the Illinois average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12.
| Peoria | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 13% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 33% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 36% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Peoria | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 11.8% | 7.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.8% | 10.3% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 11.2% | 8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Peoria. Close and well known come first.
38 mi MuseumDickson Mounds
7 mi Zoo & aquariumWildlife Prairie Park38 mi Zoo & aquariumMiller Park Zoo
in town GardenGeorge L. Luthy Memorial Botanical Garden
14 mi MuseumAdlai E. Stevenson I HouseDickson Mounds: MattHucke, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wildlife Prairie Park: Katherine Johnson, CC BY 2.0 · George L. Luthy Memorial Botanical Garden: Original uploader was ProfDEH at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Adlai E. Stevenson I House: Nyttend, Public domain
4 within 15 miles of the center of Peoria
About 7 of every 100 Peoria residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
3 colleges in town.
26 places in Peoria on the National Register of Historic Places.
41 notable people were born in Peoria.
City in Illinois, United States
Peoria ( pee-OR-ee-ə) is a city in Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located on the Illinois River, the city had a population of 113,150 as of the 2020 census, making it the eighth-most populous city in Illinois. It is the principal city of the Peoria metropolitan area in Central Illinois, consisting of Fulton, Marshall, Peoria, Stark, Tazewell, and Woodford counties and had a combined population of 402,391 in 2020. Established in 1691 by the French explorer Henri de Tonti, Peoria is the oldest permanent European settlement in Illinois, according to the Illinois State Archaeological Survey. The city received its current name when the County of Peoria was organized…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with Peoria.
All 7 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; Peoria City Township (C) is closest. Richwoods Township next door grades lower for schools (C− to Peoria’s B−) and higher for cost of living (A to C+).
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peoria | #681 | C− | C+ | D− | B− | C+ |
| Peoria City Township | #623 | C | B− | — | C− | B− |
| Richwoods Township | #246 | A− | A | — | C− | B+ |
| Peoria Heights | #263 | A− | A | — | C− | B+ |
| West Peoria | #554 | C+ | A− | — | C− | C− |
| Medina Township | #212 | A− | C | — | A | A |
| Kickapoo Township | #336 | B+ | C− | — | B+ | A |
| Fondulac Township | #457 | B− | B | — | C | B |
Peoria City Township, Richwoods Township, Peoria Heights, West Peoria, Medina Township, Kickapoo Township and Fondulac Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Peoria with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Peoria grades C− overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #681 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C+ for health, D− for safety and B− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 1.9 years of the area's median household income ($71,857 across the Peoria, IL metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
41 notable people were born here, including Betty Friedan and David Ogden Stiers.
