Ross TownshipIL
A town of 1,466.
Is Ross Township a good place to live?
The best of Ross Township’s subject grades is an A+ for cost of living; the weakest is a D for incomes. On cost of living, just 77 of Illinois’ 1,284 towns do better. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 70% of U.S. towns. Only 93 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns score lower on incomes. The biggest park or preserve is Centennial Park, at 20 acres. Ross Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
1,466 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Ross Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Ross Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Ross Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ross 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 Ross Township.
Most of Ross Township’s workers commute out: the town has 0.6 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Ross Township for work: only 12% work in town. 15% of Ross Township residents live below the poverty line, above both the Illinois town median (8.4%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Ross Township’s average trip to work is 21 minutes.
| Ross Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 8.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Public schools in Ross Township fall behind 60% of Illinois districts
Its public schools are run by the Edgar County CUD 6 school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chrisman Elem SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 120 | C+ |
| Chrisman High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 93 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
Ross Township stands out in Illinois and nationally: a larger share of its adults have high blood pressure
42% of Ross Township adults have high blood pressure, above both Illinois’ towns (35%) and U.S. towns (35%). 15% of adults have diabetes in Ross Township. Ross Township beats the Illinois average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12.
| Ross Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 35% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 11% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Ross Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.4% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.8% | 13.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.6% | 6.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Ross Township has four seasons and pleasant summers
Ross Township has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 19° and about 24 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Moderate risk in Ross Township, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 52% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Centennial Park | — | 20 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Ross Township
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Ross Township; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Ross Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
88% of working residents leave Ross Township for work
Where Ross Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Ross Township
Township in Illinois, United States
Ross Township is one of fifteen townships in Edgar County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,509 and it contained 653 housing units.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 37 sq mi
- Elevation
- 666 ft
Questions about Ross Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ross 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 A+.