Downtown, 2008
Sidney’s story
189 years in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2008.
- 1837Sidney is settled
SidneyIL
Photo: Daniel Schwen · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,167
2025 Census estimate · −3.3% since 2020
Typical home
$238K
+9% in a year
Household income
$89K
median
Median age
39.6
years
Jobs based here
147
A commuter town
Is Sidney a good place to live?
The best of Sidney’s subject grades are an A− for health and a B+ for incomes; the weakest is a C− for hazard risk. 4.3% of residents live below the poverty line in Sidney, against 8.4% in Illinois’ towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. On the outdoors, just 10 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do worse. Sidney has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Sidney stand out
Where Sidney beats most towns.
Small town
1,167 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Sidney grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Sidney is from typical.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC−Open →HealthCarle Foundation Hospital 9.9 miles awayA−Open →Jobs & income$89K median household incomeB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6 of 20; 0.5% of households have no car; 1.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →SchoolsBeat 63% of Illinois districts on tests and graduationBOpen →Cost of livingB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksD−Open →HistoryB+Open →Civic life2.1 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB−Open →
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 39.6; 24% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 22 attractions →American Football House and 12 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sidney. Close and well known come first.
10 mi LandmarkAmerican Football House
10 mi Stadium & arenaGies Memorial Stadium
10 mi TheatreKrannert Center for the Performing Arts
19 mi MuseumOctave Chanute Aerospace Museum
31 mi GardenRobert Allerton Park
26 mi MuseumMonticello Railway MuseumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
American Football House: BanjoZebra, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gies Memorial Stadium: T.J. Blakeman, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Krannert Center for the Performing Arts: Aries Liang, Public domain · Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Robert Allerton Park: D. Finnigan, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Monticello Railway Museum: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Sidney: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sidney, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterIl American-Champaign water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet8 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Sidney’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 hereChampaign County ClerkChampaign County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code6187761877 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 Sidney.
HealthA−
Sidney ranks healthier than 75% of the country’s towns
Sidney beats the Illinois average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 20% of adults binge drink in Sidney, where Illinois’ towns sit at 18% and U.S. towns at 16%. 76% of Sidney adults had a checkup this year.
75%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Sidney | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 78% | 79% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 23% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.9% | 11% | 12% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
6 better24 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Sidney | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.5% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.8% | 15.9% |
| More adults with depression | 24.2% | 19.8% |
Carle Foundation Hospital
9.9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
Sidney has 0.3 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Sidney for work: only 1% work in town. Since 2013, Sidney has added 55 jobs, to 147 in 2023. 6.5% of workers work from home in Sidney.
1%work in town
| Sidney | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 6.5% | 11% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.8% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $89,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Sidney1%
Champaign29%
Urbana17%
Homer2%
Bloomington2%
11 mi
median commute distance
147
jobs based in Sidney
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 36% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
High risk in Sidney, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 17 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sidney.
70risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingDroughtCold waves
17
paid flood claims since 1983
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Sidney
Sidney has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 18° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
21″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter21–38°
Spring41–63°
Summer63–84°
Fall43–65°
Oct 24
typical first frost
Apr 15
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade B−
Sidney’s typical home value is about $238K
The typical Sidney home is worth about $238,000, up 9% in a year, 20% below the Illinois typical home.
$238KZillow home value
| Sidney | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 83% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,094 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Sidney$238K
Illinois$296K
+9%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in April
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sidney
17pages on Sidney
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Sidney
University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignUniversity or college · Public · Champaign9.9 mi$16,004 in-state tuitionParkland CollegeCommunity college · Public · Champaign13.7 mi$4,284 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Sidney residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Sidney for work
Where Sidney’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
147jobs based in Sidney
1%of working residents work in town
11 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Sidney
Village in Illinois, United States
Sidney is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,208 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.6 sq mi
- ZIP code
- 61877
Questions about Sidney
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sidney, IL expensive?
That is 3.6 years of the area's median household income ($65,528 across the Champaign-Urbana, IL metro 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−.