Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Watseka grades D overall, 703rd among Illinois's 767 graded towns, mostly because of health and incomes. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 97% of the country. The median household income is $44K, and 23% of residents live below the poverty line. It also has a long history, with 3 places on the National Register. 23% of residents live below the poverty line in Watseka, where Illinois’ towns sit at 8.4% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Only 3 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns score lower on hazard risk. Its National Register listings include Old Iroquois County Courthouse and Watseka Union Depot.
Where Watseka beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Old Iroquois County Courthouse| Widest gap | Watseka | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 13.8% | 6.3% |
5,255 counted in 2010 and 4,679 in 2020; an estimated 4,510 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 3.8% since 2020, after 11% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Watseka is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,551 in 1870, 4,679 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 2 maps from 1939 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Watseka, 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 Watseka.
Watseka trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Illinois (mostly inland flooding) and has poverty well above the Illinois rate.
Homes are within reach (about $102K for the typical one, B for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 26 miles. At 1.5 years of the county’s $66K median household income, the typical home (about $102K) costs less against local pay than in 93% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living.
The typical Watseka home is worth about $102,000, down 6.8% in a year, 66% below the Illinois typical home. Watseka’s median rent is $790 a month.
| Watseka | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $790 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 65% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
22% of adults smoke cigarettes in Watseka. Among 767 Illinois towns, just 9 have a higher share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Watseka. 15% of adults binge drink in Watseka.
| Watseka | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 11% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 18% | 19% |
| What stands out | Watseka | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.8% | 75.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 13.8% | 6.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of Illinois towns, with expected losses of about $1,376 per resident a year; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on. 537 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 59 properties have flooded more than once.
The FEMA risk score in Watseka is 94 of 100. Since 1979, 537 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Watseka.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Watseka has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 17° and about 17 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 1,784 working residents takes 18.1 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
About one in 3 of Watseka’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Watseka has lost 249 jobs, to 2,401 in 2023. The top destinations are Kankakee (5%), Chicago (4%) and Gilman (3%).
| Watseka | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 29% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $44,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
0.0 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Legion Park, at 25 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Legion Park | — | 25 |
| 2. Forest Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Kay Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Watseka; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Watseka residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
3 places in Watseka on the National Register of Historic Places.
13 notable people were born in Watseka.
City in Illinois, United States
Watseka is a city in and the county seat of Iroquois County, Illinois, United States. It is located approximately 15 miles (24 km) west of the Illinois-Indiana state line on U.S. Route 24. The population of Watseka was 4,679 as of the 2020 Census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Watseka grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns and #703 of 767 in Illinois. It grades D− for health, C+ for safety and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 1.5 years of the area's median household income ($66,255 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
13 notable people were born here, including P. C. Cast and Henry Bacon.
