Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Scales Mound’s mean commuting time is 37 minutes, where Illinois’ towns sit at 26 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. No town among the 769 in Illinois we compare has a lower January low than Scales Mound. Scales Mound Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places. Scales Mound has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Scales Mound beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 311 in 1880, 436 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 2 maps from 1968 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Scales Mound, 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 Scales Mound.
In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 5.7%. Scales Mound’s typical rent is $831 a month, below both Illinois’ towns ($1,129 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Four fifths of Scales Mound households own their home.
| Scales Mound | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $831 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 80% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 11° and about 32 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Only 8% of working residents stay in Scales Mound for work; the rest commute out. Scales Mound’s typical household income stands at $69,000. It had 161 jobs in 2023, up 63 from 2013. Also worth knowing: among residents here, 4.3% live below the poverty line.
| Scales Mound | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 4.3% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
55% of Scales Mound’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 15%. On expected storm and flood damage, Scales Mound sits below 64% of U.S. communities. Households locally have drawn federal disaster aid in 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2010.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In Scales Mound, just over a fifth of adults get no exercise outside work. The town beats the Illinois average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. Two figures for adults locally: 10% have diabetes, 77% had a checkup this year.
| Scales Mound | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 77% | 78% | 79% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 23% | 25% |
| What stands out | Scales Mound | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.2% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.8% | 15.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.7% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Scales Mound. Close and well known come first.
2 mi MountainCharles Mound10 mi MuseumChicago Athenaeum
21 mi MuseumNational Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium250K visitors a year
21 mi TheatreFive Flags Center
11 mi MuseumApple River Fort21 mi MuseumDubuque Museum of ArtCharles Mound: Skye Marthaler, CC BY-SA 3.0 · National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium: Dirk Hansen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Five Flags Center: Dirk Hansen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Apple River Fort: IvoShandor, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Scales Mound; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Scales Mound residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
Village in Illinois, United States
Scales Mound is a village in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. The population was 436 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Scales Mound has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
