Volleyball bump, 2014
Roanoke’s story
168 years in pictures
Census counts: 355 in 1880, 1,960 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2014 and 2 maps from 1955 on.
- 1858Roanoke is settled
RoanokeIL
A town of 1,918, settled in 1858.
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Population
1,918
2025 Census estimate · −2% since 2020
Typical home
$180K
+10.4% in a year
Household income
$82K
median
Median age
39.9
years
Jobs based here
657
A commuter town
Is Roanoke a good place to live?
The best of Roanoke’s subject grades are an A− for schools and cost of living. Roanoke’s average trip to work is 22 minutes, below both the Illinois town median (26 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). The biggest park or preserve is Roanoke Park, at 26 acres. Roanoke has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Roanoke stand out
Where Roanoke beats most towns.
A commuter town
86% of working residents leave Roanoke for work
Where Roanoke’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
657jobs based in Roanoke
14%of working residents work in town
19 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Roanoke grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Roanoke is from typical.
SchoolsBeat 84% of Illinois districts on tests and graduationA−Open →Cost of livingA−Open →HealthCarle Eureka Hospital 6.5 miles awayB+Open →Jobs & income$82K median household incomeB+Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.2 of 20; 2.6% of households have no car; 2.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trails; 5% conserved landBOpen →History2 notable people born hereB−Open →Civic life2.5 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsCOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 39.9; 26% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Roanoke: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Roanoke, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterRoanoke water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Roanoke’s trash rules yet
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 hereWoodford County ClerkWoodford County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP code6156161561 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 Roanoke.
HousingCost of living grade A−
Homes in Roanoke are worth about $180K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical Roanoke home is worth about $180,000, up 10.4% in a year, 39% below the Illinois typical home. 84% of Roanoke households own their home, against 75% in Illinois’ towns and 73% across U.S. towns.
$180KZillow home value
| Roanoke | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 84% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,101 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Roanoke$180K
Illinois$296K
+10.4%
value change, 1 year
3
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
Roanoke has 0.7 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Roanoke for work: only 14% work in town. Jobs based in Roanoke fell to 657 in 2023, 116 fewer than in 2013. 5.5% of residents live below the poverty line in Roanoke.
14%work in town
| Roanoke | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.5% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Roanoke14%
Peoria10%
Bloomington7%
Eureka6%
Normal4%
19 mi
median commute distance
657
jobs based in Roanoke
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 61% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthB+
Roanoke ranks healthier than 70% of the country’s towns
Roanoke beats the Illinois average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 18% of Roanoke adults binge drink.
70%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
| Roanoke | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 35% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 16% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 9.9% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 17% | 17% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
7 better22 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Roanoke | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.9% | 15.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.3% | 13.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.5% | 7.6% |
Carle Eureka Hospital
6.5 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Roanoke
Roanoke has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 16° and about 28 inches of snow falls in a winter.
28″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter19–36°
Spring40–62°
Summer62–84°
Fall42–64°
Oct 17
typical first frost
Apr 26
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C+
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Roanoke
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 2013, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Roanoke.
57risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
9
paid flood claims since 2013
7
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsB
Roanoke has set aside 4.7% of its land for conservation
0.1 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
4.7%conserved
| Roanoke | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.7% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
4.7%
conserved · 29 of 623 acres
0.1 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Roanoke Park | — | 26 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 14 attractions →Starved Rock State Park and 9 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Roanoke. Close and well known come first.
38 mi State parkStarved Rock State Park25 mi Zoo & aquariumMiller Park Zoo
29 mi Zoo & aquariumWildlife Prairie Park20 mi Zoo & aquariumPeoria Zoo
8 mi MuseumMetamora Courthouse State Historic Site
9 mi MuseumAdlai E. Stevenson I HouseSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Starved Rock State Park: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wildlife Prairie Park: Katherine Johnson, CC BY 2.0 · Metamora Courthouse State Historic Site: ProfDEH, Public domain · Adlai E. Stevenson I House: Nyttend, Public domain
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Roanoke
19pages on Roanoke
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Roanoke
About 5 of every 100 Roanoke residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
About Roanoke
Village in Illinois, United States
Roanoke is a village in Roanoke Township, Woodford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,960 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 724 ft
- ZIP code
- 61561
- Area code
- 309
Questions about Roanoke
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Roanoke, IL expensive?
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−.
What is Roanoke, IL known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Frank Frantz and Tarzan Woltzen.