Smallwood TownshipIL
A town of 422, settled in 1859.
Is Smallwood Township a good place to live?
74% of the land in Smallwood Township is conserved, above both Illinois’ towns (3.7%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest park or preserve is Prairie Ridge State Natural Area, at 160 acres. Smallwood Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
422 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Smallwood Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Smallwood 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 Smallwood Township.
Open space protected for good: nearly a third of Smallwood Township
Trails total 4.8 miles in 2 parks and preserves. In Smallwood Township, the density of trails is 0.1 miles per square mile, near the Illinois town median (0.3) and below the median of U.S. towns (0.4).
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Newton Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area | — | 460 |
| 2. Prairie Ridge State Natural Area | — | 160 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Young adults are less common in Smallwood Township than in Illinois
Adults 18 to 34 are 2% of residents (23% statewide); children under 18 are 38% of residents (22% statewide). The Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate puts Smallwood Township at 422 residents, down 3.4% since 2020. College graduates make up 32% of adults 25 and older, against 38% across Illinois.
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 36% and 66% women
The Census survey reached too few of Smallwood Township’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±15.2 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Smallwood Township | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 29.9% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 0% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 2.4% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.4% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.3% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.3% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.5% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.3% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.7% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.9% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.8% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 24.8% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.1% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.7% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 400, single groups can be off by several points
Compared with most of Illinois and the rest of the country, more of Smallwood Township’s residents live below the poverty line
Half the trips to work are shorter than 24 miles. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Smallwood Township dropped by 153, to 15. The top destinations are Effingham (16%), Newton (14%) and Olney (7%).
| Smallwood Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 38% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $73,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Four seasons and pleasant summers: that is Smallwood Township’s year
For Smallwood Township, the typical July afternoon high is 86°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Smallwood Township faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in two thirds of U.S. communities. FEMA puts 47% of Smallwood Township’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 19% to drought.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
How healthy Smallwood Township is
For adults in Smallwood Township, the share who feel lonely is 32%. The town beats the Illinois average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 39% of adults locally have obesity; 15% report frequent physical distress.
| Smallwood Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Smallwood Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.2% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.9% | 13.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 9% | 6.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Smallwood Township
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Smallwood Township
About 0 of every 100 Smallwood Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
100% of working residents leave Smallwood Township for work
Where Smallwood Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Smallwood Township
Township in Illinois, United States
Smallwood Township is one of eleven townships in Jasper County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 413 and it contained 174 housing units.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1859
- Area
- 42 sq mi
- Elevation
- 551 ft
Questions about Smallwood Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Smallwood Township, IL a good place to live?
Smallwood Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.