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Illinois›McHenry County
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RileyIL

A town, settled in 1849.

Is Riley a good place to live?

We don’t grade Riley yet; the figures below are still real.

Getting set up

Moving to Riley: who provides what

Riley is unincorporated, so McHenry County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerCommonwealth Edison17.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesMcHenry CountyMcHenry County provides services here
SchoolsMarengo Community High School District 154Riley Community Consolidated School District 182 districts serve Riley; 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.gov
Who runs elections hereMcHenry County ClerkMcHenry County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code6015260152 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 Riley.

Natural hazards

Low risk in Riley, with inland flooding at the top

FEMA puts 54% of Riley’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 20% to tornadoes. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 75% of U.S. communities.

25risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
25Low riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
Full pageRiley’s hazards pageOpen the page
What it facesLow riskFlood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on recordPast disasters14 disaster declarations · Declared for the countyGet ready1.1 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Climate

Riley: four seasons and pleasant summers

Riley’s July high stands at 84°F, near the Illinois town median (84°F) and below the median of U.S. towns (85°F).

31″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter17–32°
Spring37–59°
Summer60–82°
Fall41–61°
Oct 12
typical first frost
Apr 28
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
Full pageRiley’s climate pageOpen the page
A year of weatherJuly highs 84°, January lows 14°Rain & snow31″ of snow a winter · 37 inches of rain and snow a yearHeating & coolingMostly a heating billThen and now+1.1° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

How healthy Riley is

Just over a third of adults have obesity in Riley, below Illinois’ towns (37%) and close to U.S. towns (35%). On the CDC’s 32 measures, Riley is ahead of Illinois on 4 and behind on 2. The share of adults in Riley who sleep under 7 hours: 31%.

RileyIllinois townsU.S. towns
Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES)31%35%36%
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)18%18%16%
Obesity (CDC PLACES)34%37%35%
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)78%78%79%
32 measures vs. Illinois
4 better26 too close to call2 worse
What stands outRileyIL
Fewer adults facing food insecurity12.5%15.9%
Fewer adults facing housing insecurity10.5%13.2%
More adults who have had cancer9%7.6%
Mercyhealth Hospital & Physician Clinic-Crystal La
15.7 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
Full pageRiley’s health reportOpen the page
Everyday habitsFewer adults sleeping under 7 hoursHospitals & doctors nearby15.7 miles to an ER · Mercyhealth Hospital & Physician Clinic-Crystal LaHow adults are doingFewer adults lacking emotional supportEvery CDC estimateBetter than IL on 4 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Nearby attractions

Six Flags Great America and 27 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Riley. Close and well known come first.

All 162 attractions →
Big draw38 mi Theme parkSix Flags Great America3.0M visitors a year6 mi MuseumIllinois Railway Museum39 mi MuseumMcDonald's #1 Store Museum39 mi TheatreAlpine Valley Music Theatre39 mi MuseumMorton Arboretum25 mi Stadium & arenaBMO Center
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Six Flags Great America: Feather Better, CC BY 4.0 · Illinois Railway Museum: The original uploader was Slambo at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 · McDonald's #1 Store Museum: Bruce Marlin, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Alpine Valley Music Theatre: chad davis, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Morton Arboretum: Bruce Marlin, CC BY-SA 2.5 · BMO Center: SimLibrarian, CC0

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Riley

13pages on Riley
The big questions
HealthBetter than IL on 4 of 32 CDC measuresNatural hazardsFEMA risk higher than 25% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
PlacesAttractions162 nearby · Illinois Railway Museum 6 miLibraryMarengo-Union Public Library DistrictCollegesMcHenry County College is 14.1 mi away
The story
HistorySettled 1849Climate84° summer highs · 31″ of snow
Day to day
NewsWeatherHandbookTown SquareNeighbors
After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of Riley

McHenry County CollegeCommunity college · Public · Crystal Lake14.1 mi$4,162 in-state tuition

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

About Riley

Census-designated place in Illinois, United States

Riley is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. It was named a CDP before the 2020 census, at which time it had a population of 10.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Elevation
807 ft

Riley’s neighbors

One town shares a border with Riley.

Explore the map →
MarengoMarengoRiley
Marengo
NE
Visit
How the neighbors grade
TownIL rankOverallCostSafetySchoolsHealth
Riley——————
Marengo#503B−C+BBB+

Riley isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Riley with a neighbor →

Questions about Riley

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Riley, IL a good place to live?

We don’t grade Riley yet; the figures below are still real.