Boston & Maine B&M 367 (GP39-2), 1986
Tolono’s story
169 years in pictures
Census counts: 777 in 1870, 3,604 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1986 and 3 maps from 1975 on.
- 1857Tolono is settled
TolonoIL
Photo: Skvader · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
3,499
2025 Census estimate · −2.7% since 2020
Typical home
$255K
+5.9% in a year
Household income
$70K
median
Median age
34.5
years
Jobs based here
238
A commuter town
TownGrade
B−
#451 of 767 in IL
Is Tolono a good place to live?
Tolono is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B− overall, ranked 451st of 767 in Illinois, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: residents are healthier than 85% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It also does better than most on schools: its public schools beat 63% of Illinois towns on state tests and graduation. A typical home there costs about $255K, 3.9 years of the Champaign metro’s $66K median household income. Tolono’s average trip to work is 18 minutes, against 26 minutes in Illinois’ towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 80% of U.S. towns.
What makes Tolono stand out
Where Tolono beats most towns.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Tolono for work
Where Tolono’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
238jobs based in Tolono
2%of working residents work in town
9 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Tolono grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Tolono is from typical.
HealthOSF Heart of Mary Medical Center 8.9 miles awayAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.7 of 20; 0% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →SchoolsBOpen →Cost of livingC+Open →Jobs & income$70K median household incomeC+Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 49% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trail; 2% conserved landB−Open →History3 notable people born hereCOpen →Civic life2.8 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsBOpen →
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 34.5; 26% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 21 attractions →Gies Memorial Stadium and 13 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Tolono. Close and well known come first.
8 mi Stadium & arenaGies Memorial Stadium
9 mi LandmarkAmerican Football House
21 mi GardenRobert Allerton Park
16 mi MuseumMonticello Railway Museum
8 mi TheatreKrannert Center for the Performing Arts
22 mi MuseumOctave Chanute Aerospace MuseumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Gies Memorial Stadium: T.J. Blakeman, CC BY-SA 4.0 · American Football House: BanjoZebra, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Robert Allerton Park: D. Finnigan, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Monticello Railway Museum: Daniel Schwen, 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
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Tolono: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Tolono, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterIl American-Tolono water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet9 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Tolono’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 code6188061880 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 Tolono.
Tolono has less no health insurance than most of Illinois and sends most of its workers to Champaign and beyond, but it has many renters stretched by housing costs.
HealthA
Tolono earns an A for health
Its widest gap with Illinois is no health insurance: 5.8% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 9.9% statewide.
21% of adults binge drink in Tolono. Tolono beats the Illinois average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 31% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Tolono.
85%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
| Tolono | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 35% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 23% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
11 better20 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Tolono | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.8% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.8% | 15.9% |
| More adults with depression | 23.8% | 19.8% |
OSF Heart of Mary Medical Center
8.9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
77th
percentile among IL towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
About one in three of Tolono’s working residents commute to Champaign
Tolono has 238 jobs for its 1,565 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 18.1 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
Most working residents leave Tolono for work: only 2% work in town. 4.6% of Tolono residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Tolono has added 26 jobs, to 238 in 2023.
2%work in town
| Tolono | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 4.6% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.7% | 8.4% | 8% |
| Median household income | $70,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Tolono2%
Champaign32%
Urbana16%
Savoy5%
Chicago4%
9 mi
median commute distance
238
jobs based in Tolono
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 20% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Tolono has four seasons and pleasant summers
Tolono 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
Winter21–37°
Spring42–63°
Summer63–84°
Fall44–65°
Oct 24
typical first frost
Apr 15
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade C+
Tolono earns a C+ for cost of living
63.5% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 47.9% across Illinois.
Typical home values rose 5.9% in the year to September 2026. Tolono’s median rent is $945 a month.
$255KZillow home value
| Tolono | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $945 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 75% | 73% |
Typical home value
Tolono$255K
Illinois$296K
+5.9%
value change, 1 year
4
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Safety
Crime reported in Tolono
Tolono's reported crime rate is well below Illinois's. The violent crime rate in Tolono is 0 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Tolono | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.2 | 1.7 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 3.8 per 1,000 residents | 9.4 | 11.5 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Tolono0
Illinois2.9
U.S.3.6
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Tolono3.8
Illinois17.7
U.S.17.7
0
violent crimes reported in 2024
13
property crimes reported in 2024
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
OutdoorsB−
Tolono has set aside 1.5% of its land for conservation
0.6 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
1.5%conserved
| Tolono | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.5% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
1.5%
conserved · 20 of 1,314 acres
0.6 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. East Side Park | 0.4 mi | 6 |
| 2. West Side Park | 0.2 mi | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B−
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Tolono
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 51% of U.S. communities.
49risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingDroughtCold waves
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Tolono
20pages on Tolono
The big questions
SchoolsBBeat 63% of IL districtsSafety0 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2024)HealthABetter than IL on 11 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingC+$255K typical home · up 5.9% in a yearWork & commuteC+$70K median household income · 238 jobs hereNatural hazardsB−FEMA risk higher than 49% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Tolono
University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignUniversity or college · Public · Champaign8 mi$16,004 in-state tuitionParkland CollegeCommunity college · Public · Champaign9.8 mi$4,284 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Tolono residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
Famous people from Tolono
3 notable people were born in Tolono.
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About Tolono
Village in Illinois, United States
Tolono is a village in Tolono Township, Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,604 at the 2020 census. Its name was fabricated by J.B. Calhoun, land commission of the Illinois Central Railroad, who wrote about it simply: "[I] placed the vowel o three times, thus o-o-o, and filling in with the consonants t-l-n."
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 732 ft
- ZIP code
- 61880
Questions about Tolono
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Tolono, IL a good place to live?
Tolono grades B− overall, better than 54% of U.S. towns and #451 of 767 in Illinois. It grades A for health and B for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Tolono, IL expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
What is Tolono, IL known for?
3 notable people were born here, including Brian Cardinal and George Washington Burr.