Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Springfield grades D overall, 702nd of 767 graded towns in Illinois, mostly because of safety and schools. It reports more crime per resident than 98% of U.S. towns, including 1,001 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Its schools rank behind 84% of the state's. In its favor, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 86% of U.S. towns. 64% of working residents work locally in Springfield, where Illinois’ towns sit at 8.3% and U.S. towns at 8%. Its National Register listings include Lincoln Tomb and Old State Capitol. Only 4 of the 357 Illinois towns we compare have a higher property offense rate than Springfield.
Where Springfield beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Lincoln Tomb
Lincoln Tomb is one of 5 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier. Its 45 National Register listings are more than in 99% of Illinois towns with a listing.
Census counts: 2,579 in 1840, 114,394 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1837 and 7 maps from 1907 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Springfield is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Springfield. Close and well known come first.
Big drawin town LandmarkLincoln Tomb
in town National Historic SiteLincoln Home National Historic Site124K visitors a yearin town National MonumentSpringfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument
in town MuseumOld State Capitol State Historic Site
16 mi MuseumLincoln's New Salem
in town MuseumIllinois State MuseumLincoln 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 · Illinois State Museum: Mike Linksvayer from Oakland, California, CC0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Springfield, 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 Springfield.
Springfield draws workers from Chicago and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at 3 times the Illinois rate.
Violent crime runs at 8.9 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Illinois rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Property crime runs at 41.4 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Illinois rate, most of it theft.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
104,756 jobs are based in Springfield, 2.2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 17.4 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
In Springfield, 15% of workers work from home. Half the trips to work are shorter than 4 miles. The town’s typical journey to work stands at 17 minutes. The top destinations are Chicago (2%), Decatur (1%) and Peoria (1%).
| Springfield | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 15% | 11% | 11% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The concentration of trails for Springfield comes to 0.7 miles per square mile. Across 54 parks and preserves: 47 miles of trail. Gurgens Park, at 411 acres with 3.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Springfield | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.5% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Carpenter Park | 7 mi | 337 |
| 2. Lincoln Memorial Garden and Trails | 4.2 mi | 106 |
| 3. Gurgens Park | 3.6 mi | 411 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Springfield’s typical rent is $975 a month. Home values are up 6.8% over the year to September 2026. Also worth knowing: homes sold in Springfield spent a median 5 days on the market.
| Springfield | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $975 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 48% | 46% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 19° and about 22 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Federal aid has come to Springfield households in 7 declared disasters; the latest was in 2023. On expected storm and flood damage, Springfield sits below 60% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 38% come from inland flooding and 18% from tornadoes. 43 flood insurance claims have been paid locally since 1979.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 10,098 U.S. towns with household incomes like Springfield’s, it is healthier than 57%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Among adults in Springfield, 21% have been diagnosed with depression. Against the Illinois average, Springfield comes out ahead on 1 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 11. 38% of adults here have high blood pressure; 18% worry about having enough food.
| Springfield | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Springfield | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8.2% | 9.9% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.7% | 10.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Four-year graduates: 36% of adults 25 and older here, 38% across Illinois. No age group stands out against Illinois: all are within 4 points. For residents in Springfield, the share who are under 18 is 21%.
| Springfield | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 29% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 21% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 19% | 18% |
51.7% women, 48.3% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 42.9, men 39.0.
| Springfield | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.3% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.5% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.7% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.6% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.8% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.3% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.7% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.2% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.7% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.9% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.3% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.9% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.8% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.6% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
3 within 15 miles of the center of Springfield
About 5 of every 100 Springfield residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
3 colleges in town.
45 places in Springfield on the National Register of Historic Places.
41 notable people were born in Springfield.
Capital city of Illinois, United States
Springfield is the capital city of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County. Its population was 114,394 at the 2020 United States census, making it the state's seventh-most populous city, the second-most populous outside of the Chicago metropolitan area (after Rockford) and the most populous in Central Illinois. Approximately 208,000 residents live in the Springfield metropolitan area which consists of all of Sangamon and Menard counties. The city lies in a plain near the Sangamon River north of Lake Springfield and is located along historic Route 66. Springfield was settled by European-Americans in the late 1810s, around the time Illinois became a state. The most f…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with Springfield.
All 6 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Capital Township (C) is closest.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield | #702 | D | B | D− | C− | C+ |
| Capital Township | #580 | C | B | — | C− | B− |
| Springfield Township | #609 | C | A | — | D− | C+ |
| Curran Township | — | — | C+ | — | B− | A− |
| Ball Township | #145 | A | B− | — | A− | B+ |
| Gardner Township | #274 | A− | B | — | B | A− |
| Rochester Township | #330 | B+ | C+ | — | B | A |
| Clear Lake Township | #370 | B | B+ | — | C | B+ |
Curran Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Capital Township, Springfield Township, Curran Township, Ball Township, Gardner Township, Rochester Township and Clear Lake Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Springfield with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Springfield grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns and #702 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C+ for health, D− for safety and C− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 2.3 years of the area's median household income ($75,895 across the Springfield, 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.
41 notable people were born here, including Andre Iguodala and Robert Todd Lincoln.
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