Volleyball bump, 2014
Roanoke Township’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 Township is settled
Roanoke TownshipIL
The town, settled in 1858, counts 2,381 residents. Public schools that outperform most of Illinois.
4 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Population
2,381
2025 Census estimate · −1.7% since 2020
Median home value
$148K
Census ACS
Household income
$82K
median
Median age
39.0
years
Jobs based here
962
Balanced
Is Roanoke Township a good place to live?
Roanoke Township’s best subject grade is an A− for schools. 17% of working residents work locally in Roanoke Township, above both Illinois’ towns (8.3%) and U.S. towns (8%). Homes are within reach, about $148K for a typical one, or 2.1 years of the Peoria metro’s $72K median household income. The biggest park or preserve is Roanoke Park, at 26 acres. Roanoke Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
StrongestA−Schools
What makes Roanoke Township stand out
Where Roanoke Township beats most towns.
How Roanoke Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Roanoke Township is from typical.
SchoolsAmong the best of the towns comparedA−Open →Jobs & income$82K median household incomeB+Open →Cost of livingBased on what homes cost against what households earnB+Open →HealthCarle Eureka Hospital 5.8 miles awayB+Open →Hazard riskInland flooding tops the listC+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.2 of 20; 2.3% of households have no car; 2.7% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trails; 0% conserved landCOpen →HistoryGraded on historic places and the town’s ageB−Open →Civic life2.2 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsCOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Roanoke Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Roanoke Township, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterRoanoke water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers87% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Roanoke Township’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 codes61561, 6153061561 97% · 61530 3%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 Township.
SchoolsA−
Public schools in Roanoke Township beat 84% of Illinois districts
Roanoke Benson CUSD 60 runs its public schools. Two of its 3 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. Public school enrollment in Roanoke Township: 307 students across 2 schools.
84%of IL districts it outscoresA−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sowers Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 161 | A− |
| Roanoke-Benson High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 146 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
HealthB+
Roanoke Township ranks healthier than 68% of the country’s towns
In Roanoke Township, one in ten adults worry about having enough food. CDC measures, 32 in all: Roanoke Township beats Illinois on 7 and trails on 3.
68%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
| Roanoke Township | 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) | 10% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 23% | 25% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
7 better22 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Roanoke Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.3% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.2% | 15.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 7.6% |
Carle Eureka Hospital
5.8 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 Township
The range runs from 16° on a January night to 85° on a July afternoon, with about 28 inches of snow 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
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
With only 0.8 jobs per working resident, most people in Roanoke Township work out of town
Since 2013, Roanoke Township has lost 51 jobs, to 962 in 2023. Roanoke Township’s average commute comes in at 22 minutes. Also worth knowing: for residents locally, the share who live below the poverty line is 4.8%. The top destinations are Roanoke (14%), Peoria (10%) and Bloomington (7%).
17%work in town
| Roanoke Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.8% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Roanoke Township17%
Roanoke14%
Peoria10%
Bloomington7%
Eureka6%
19 mi
median commute distance
962
jobs based in Roanoke Township
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 60% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C+
Roanoke Township has a moderate natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Roanoke Township once, in 1999. Compared with 57% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in the town is higher. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 58% come from inland flooding and 15% from cold waves.
57risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsC
Conservation land takes up 0.1% of Roanoke Township
There are 0.1 miles of trail across 1 park or preserve.
0.1%conserved
0.1%
conserved · 30 of 23,424 acres
0.1 mi
of trails · 0 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 Township. Close and well known come first.
38 mi State parkStarved Rock State Park25 mi Zoo & aquariumMiller Park Zoo
28 mi Zoo & aquariumWildlife Prairie Park20 mi Zoo & aquariumPeoria Zoo
8 mi MuseumMetamora Courthouse State Historic Site
8 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 Township
18pages on Roanoke Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Roanoke Township
About 5 of every 100 Roanoke Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
About Roanoke Township
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
Roanoke Township’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Roanoke Township.
Greene TownshipOlio TownshipMetamora TownshipLinn TownshipRoanoke Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roanoke Township | — | — | B+ | — | A− | B+ |
| Greene Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Olio Township | #190 | A− | B+ | — | A | B+ |
| Metamora Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Linn Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Roanoke Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Roanoke Township and Olio Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Greene Township, Metamora Township and Linn Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Roanoke Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Roanoke Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Roanoke Township, IL a good place to live?
Public schools that outperform most of Illinois.
Is Roanoke Township, 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 B+.