FARM IN, 1973
Towanda’s story
151 years in pictures
Census counts: 261 in 1880, a peak of 856 in 1990, 431 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1973 and 4 maps from 1926 on.
- 1875Towanda is settled
TowandaIL
Population
423
2025 Census estimate · −2.3% since 2020
Median home value
$159K
Census ACS
Household income
$73K
median
Median age
44.7
years
Jobs based here
31
A commuter town
Is Towanda a good place to live?
Towanda’s average commute is 21 minutes, below both Illinois’ towns (26 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Among 769 Illinois towns, just 6 have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Towanda. Towanda has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Towanda stand out
Where Towanda beats most towns.
Small town
423 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Towanda: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Towanda, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterTowanda 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 Towanda’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 hereMcLean County ClerkMcLean County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code6177661776 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 Towanda.
Work & commute
Most of Towanda’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.2 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Towanda for work: only 1% work in town. The town had 31 jobs in 2023, down 61 from 2013. Among residents locally, 12% live below the poverty line. Half of commuters travel less than 8 miles.
1%work in town
| Towanda | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $73,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Towanda1%
Bloomington35%
Normal24%
El Paso4%
Springfield4%
8 mi
median commute distance
31
jobs based in Towanda
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Towanda, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
In July, afternoons reach 85°; in January, nights fall to 17°, and about 20 inches of snow falls in a winter.
20″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter20–36°
Spring40–62°
Summer62–84°
Fall43–64°
Oct 16
typical first frost
Apr 25
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazards
Towanda has a high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
The FEMA hazard score for Towanda comes to 64 of 100. 47% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 25%. Households locally have drawn federal disaster aid in 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2000.
64risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesDrought
4
paid flood claims since 1979
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Health
How healthy Towanda is
Towanda: 4.9% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Towanda is ahead of Illinois on 10 and behind on 2. In Towanda, 18% of adults get no exercise outside work, and 14% report frequent mental distress.
| Towanda | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 23% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 33% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
10 better20 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Towanda | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.6% | 15.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.9% | 9.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.5% | 7.6% |
St. Joseph Medical Center
6.5 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Who lives here
A typical Illinois spread of ages in Towanda
By age, Towanda looks like Illinois: each broad group is within 4 points. 423 people lived in Towanda by the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate, 2.3% fewer than in 2020. The median age locally is 44.7 years. The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 29%, against 38% across Illinois.
44.7median age · IL 39
| Towanda | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 44.7 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 29% | 29% | 29% |
TowandaIllinoisUnited States
Ages · share of residents
15%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma4%
High school37%
Some college25%
Associate’s6%
Bachelor’s26%
Graduate3%
Women and men · all residents
45% women, 55% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±8 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Towanda | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15.4% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4.9% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.9% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.9% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.9% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.6% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.7% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.9% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.7% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 36.5% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.5% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.2% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.1% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 2.9% | 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
Outdoors
3% of the land in Towanda is protected from building
0.3 miles of trail wind through 3 parks and preserves. For Towanda, the trail network density is 0.4 miles per square mile.
3%conserved
| Towanda | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
3%
conserved · 14 of 475 acres
0.3 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Boyd-Wesley Park | — | 12 |
| 2. North Park | — | 2 |
| 3. South Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Housing
Homes in Towanda sell for about $238K
In Towanda, 89% of households own their home. For Towanda, the median rent is $1,000 a month.
$238Kmedian sale price
| Towanda | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 89% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,000 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Nearby attractions
All 25 attractions →Miller Park Zoo and 9 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Towanda. Close and well known come first.
9 mi Zoo & aquariumMiller Park Zoo
40 mi MuseumMonticello Railway Museum37 mi Zoo & aquariumPeoria Zoo5 mi MuseumPrairie Aviation Museum
6 mi GardenFell Arboretum
21 mi Theme parkSpider Hill
40 mi MuseumMonticello Railway Museum37 mi Zoo & aquariumPeoria Zoo5 mi MuseumPrairie Aviation Museum6 mi GardenFell Arboretum21 mi Theme parkSpider HillSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Monticello Railway Museum: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fell Arboretum: Willjay, CC BY 3.0 · Spider Hill: NatFee, CC BY-SA 4.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Towanda
18pages on Towanda
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Towanda
Illinois State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Normal6 mi$16,144 in-state tuitionHeartland Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Normal6.3 mi$5,550 in-state tuitionIllinois Wesleyan UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Bloomington7 mi$57,704 tuition
About 7 of every 100 Towanda residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Towanda for work
Where Towanda’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
31jobs based in Towanda
1%of working residents work in town
8 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Towanda
Village in Illinois, United States
Towanda is a village in McLean County, Illinois, United States. The population was 431 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Bloomington–Normal Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1875
- Area
- 0.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 776 ft
- ZIP code
- 61776
Questions about Towanda
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Towanda, IL a good place to live?
Towanda has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.