Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
2.5 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Illinois town.
Pittsfield gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $138K, 2.3 years of the county’s $60K median household income. It grades C overall, ranked 614th of 767 in Illinois. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $55K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line, and its schools rank behind 81% of the state's. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 92% of U.S. towns, with 4 places on the National Register. 32% of working residents work locally in Pittsfield, against 8.3% in Illinois’ towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Only 25 of Illinois’ 1,240 towns score higher on civic life.
Where Pittsfield beats most towns.
Pittsfield East School
Census counts: 637 in 1850, 4,206 in 2020. The archive holds 14 old photos and papers going back to 1858 and 3 maps from 1926 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Pittsfield is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pittsfield, 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 Pittsfield.
Pittsfield trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has commutes shorter than most of Illinois.
Homes are within reach (about $138K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 27 miles. The median property tax bill is $1,383, against $5,298 across Illinois, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The median rent in Pittsfield is $705 a month. The typical Pittsfield home is worth about $138,000, up 3% in a year, 54% below the Illinois typical home.
| Pittsfield | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $705 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 75% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Pittsfield | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.6% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Pittsfield has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 20° and about 16 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 1,634 working residents takes 16.9 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
About one in 3 of Pittsfield’s working residents works in town. Pittsfield’s average trip to work is 17 minutes. Jobs based in Pittsfield fell to 1,787 in 2023, 239 fewer than in 2013.
| Pittsfield | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 7,312 U.S. towns with household incomes like Pittsfield’s, it is healthier than 69%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Pittsfield beats the Illinois average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 39% of Pittsfield adults have high blood pressure.
| Pittsfield | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Pittsfield | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.8% | 13.2% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.2% | 75.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.3% | 6.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Pittsfield.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Pittsfield; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Pittsfield residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
4 places in Pittsfield on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Pittsfield.
City in Illinois, USA
Pittsfield is a city in and the county seat of Pike County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,206 at the 2020 census, a decrease from 4,576 in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Pittsfield.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsfield · Pittsfield Township | #614 | C | A− | C+ | C− | C+ |
| Newburg Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Newburg Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Pittsfield Township and Pittsfield are one community, graded once. Compare Pittsfield with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Pittsfield grades C overall, better than 26% of U.S. towns and #614 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C+ for health, C+ for safety and C− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
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−.
9 notable people were born here, including Ryan Carnes and Timothy M. Rose.
