Preemption TownshipIL
A town of 1,637, settled in 1843.
Is Preemption Township a good place to live?
The best of Preemption Township’s subject grades are a B+ for cost of living and incomes; the weakest is a D for walkability. On walkability, just 98 of Illinois’ 1,284 towns do worse. Preemption Township’s average trip to work is 35 minutes, against 26 minutes in Illinois’ towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. On the outdoors, just 116 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do worse. Preemption Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
99% of working residents leave Preemption Township for work
Where Preemption Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Preemption Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Preemption Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Preemption Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Preemption Township, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Preemption Township.
Fewer of Preemption Township’s working residents work locally than in the typical Illinois or U.S. town
0.7% of Preemption Township working residents work locally, below both the Illinois town median (8.3%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). 5.6% of Preemption Township residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Rock Island (12%), Davenport (10%) and Moline (10%).
| Preemption Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 0.7% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.6% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Preemption Township’s public schools outperform 67% of Illinois districts
Its public schools are run by Sherrard CUSD 200. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matherville Intermediate SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–6 | Grades 5–6 | 182 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
In Preemption Township, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Preemption Township has cold winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 14° and about 22 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Preemption Township
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 55% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Health in Preemption Township trails 52% of U.S. towns
Preemption Township beats the Illinois average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 38% of adults have high blood pressure in Preemption Township.
| Preemption Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 13% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 37% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Preemption Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.3% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.9% | 13.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.5% | 10.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The median home in Preemption Township sells for about $150K
Preemption Township’s median rent is $786 a month.
| Preemption Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 91% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $786 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Preemption Township has set aside 0% of its land for conservation
2.1 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves. The trail density in Preemption Township is 0.1 miles per square mile.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Rock Island Arsenal and 11 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Preemption Township. Close and well known come first.
17 mi Ancient siteRock Island Arsenal
13 mi MuseumBlack Hawk State Historic Site
17 mi MuseumFigge Art Museum77K visitors a year14 mi Zoo & aquariumNiabi Zoo
17 mi MuseumPutnam Museum
18 mi GardenVander Veer Botanical ParkPhoto credits
Rock Island Arsenal: Robert A, Ryan, J. Ceronia, and Bruce A. Harms, Photographers, Public domain · Black Hawk State Historic Site: Bill Whittaker (talk). Original uploader was Billwhittaker at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Figge Art Museum: Ctjf83, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Putnam Museum: Ctjf83 of English Wikipedia (log), Public domain · Vander Veer Botanical Park: David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
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Everything we know about Preemption Township
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Preemption Township
About 3 of every 100 Preemption Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
About Preemption Township
Census-designated place in Illinois, United States
Preemption is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Preemption Township, Mercer County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 254. Preemption is 4 miles (6 km) west of Sherrard. Roy James Carver (1909-1981), American philanthropist and businessman, was born in Preemption.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Elevation
- 810 ft
- ZIP code
- 61276
Preemption Township’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Preemption Township.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preemption Township | — | — | B+ | — | B+ | B− |
| Perryton Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bowling Township | #463 | B− | B | — | B+ | B− |
| Greene Township | — | — | B | — | B+ | B− |
| Richland Grove Township | — | — | B+ | — | B+ | B |
| Rural Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Preemption Township, Greene Township and Richland Grove Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Preemption Township, Bowling Township, Greene Township and Richland Grove Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Perryton Township and Rural Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Preemption Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Preemption Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Preemption Township, IL expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $196,000, 34% below the Illinois typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.