Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,699, settled in 1850. 2.1 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Illinois town.
Savanna gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $93K for a typical one, or 1.5 years of the county’s $61K median household income. It grades C− overall, 641st among Illinois's 767 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 82% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top, and its public schools trail 84% of Illinois towns on state tests and graduation. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 82% of U.S. towns. 25% of working residents work locally in Savanna, where Illinois’ towns sit at 8.3% and U.S. towns at 8%. Only 6 of the 768 Illinois towns we compare have a lower January low than Savanna.
Where Savanna beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Savanna is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 658 in 1850, a peak of 5,237 in 1920, 2,783 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1932 and 2 maps from 1952 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Savanna, 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Savanna.
Savanna is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Illinois (mostly inland flooding).
At 1.5 years of the county’s $61K median household income, the typical home (about $93K) costs less against local pay than in 93% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living. Home values rose 50% in five years, to about $93K, against 30% across Illinois.
Typical home values rose 11% in the year to September 2026. 60% of Savanna households own their home.
| Savanna | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $835 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1.1 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Savanna | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.9% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Maquette Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
| 2. Bowen Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of Illinois towns; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Since 2011, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Savanna.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 5,031 U.S. towns with household incomes like Savanna’s, it is healthier than 67%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Savanna beats the Illinois average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 16% of adults report frequent physical distress in Savanna.
| Savanna | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 18% | 19% |
| What stands out | Savanna | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.2% | 75.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20% | 10.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Savanna has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 13° and about 33 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Savanna has about as many jobs (1,142) as working residents, but only 258 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 19.5 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
About one in 4 of Savanna’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Savanna is 20 minutes. Jobs based in Savanna fell to 1,142 in 2023, 162 fewer than in 2013.
| Savanna | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $48,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Savanna; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Savanna residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
7 notable people were born in Savanna.
City in Carroll County, Illinois, US
Savanna is a city in Carroll County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,783 at the 2020 census. Savanna is located along the Mississippi River at the mouth of the Plum River.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Savanna grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #641 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C for health and C− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
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+.
7 notable people were born here, including Wayne King and Billy Zoom.
