Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,452, settled in 1865.
The best of South Fork Township’s subject grades is an A for cost of living; the weakest is a C− for walkability. Only 107 of Illinois’ 1,284 towns score higher on cost of living. 12% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in South Fork Township, below both Illinois’ towns (29%) and U.S. towns (29%). South Fork Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where South Fork Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far South Fork Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,279 in 1870, a peak of 4,503 in 1930, 2,565 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2026 and 3 maps from 1923 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in South Fork 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.
Ordered by what stands out in South Fork Township.
Its public schools are run by South Fork SD 14. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Fork Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 150 | C− |
| South Fork Jr Sr High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 134 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave South Fork Township for work: only 5% work in town. Jobs based in South Fork Township grew to 304 in 2023, 33 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Springfield (25%), Taylorville (16%) and Decatur (5%).
| South Fork Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 4.7% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $76,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
South Fork Township has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 20° and about 14 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 2002, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in South Fork Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
South Fork Township sits against 3.7% in Illinois’ towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns on this measure. 3.1 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves. The trail density in South Fork Township is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| South Fork Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8.5% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
South Fork Township beats the Illinois average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 19% of South Fork Township adults binge drink.
| South Fork Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | South Fork Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.6% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.5% | 13.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.2% | 6.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around South Fork Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw20 mi LandmarkLincoln Tomb
18 mi National Historic SiteLincoln Home National Historic Site124K visitors a year19 mi National MonumentSpringfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument
19 mi MuseumOld State Capitol State Historic Site
34 mi MuseumLincoln's New Salem
12 mi Zoo & aquariumHenson Robinson ZooLincoln Tomb: David Jones, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Lincoln Home National Historic Site: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Old State Capitol State Historic Site: Shadow2700 at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Lincoln's New Salem: Unknown, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Henson Robinson Zoo: Robert Lawton, CC BY-SA 2.5
2 within 15 miles of the center of South Fork Township
About 4 of every 100 South Fork Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
Township in Illinois, United States
South Fork Township is one of seventeen townships in Christian County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,565, and it contained 1,242 housing units.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with South Fork Township.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Fork Township | — | — | A | — | B− | B− |
| Taylorville Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cotton Hill Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Buckhart Township | — | — | A− | — | B− | B− |
| Pawnee Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
South Fork Township and Buckhart Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. South Fork Township and Buckhart Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Taylorville Township, Cotton Hill Township and Pawnee Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare South Fork Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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.
