Watson TownshipIL
A town of 3,176, settled in 1868.
Is Watson Township a good place to live?
Watson Township gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $162K for a typical one, or 2.1 years of the Effingham area’s $79K median household income. It grades A− overall, 278th of 767 graded towns in Illinois. Only 70 of Illinois’ 1,284 towns score lower on walkability.
What makes Watson Township stand out
Where Watson Township beats most towns.
Typical home value
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Central Grade School | 2–5 | 547 |
| Early Learning Center | K | 175 |
How Watson Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Watson Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Watson Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Watson 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Watson Township.
Watson Township pairs an A− overall with homes cheaper than the Illinois norm and trades workers with Effingham and other neighbors, but it has little public open land.
For cost of living, Watson Township earns an A
Watson Township grades A− overall with a typical home of about $163K, below the Illinois typical value; only 48 of the 183 Illinois towns graded A− or better can say that. At 2.1 years of the Effingham area’s $79K median household income, the typical home (about $163K) costs less against local pay than in 75% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
At $722 a month, Watson Township’s median rent is against $1,129 a month in Illinois’ towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. 87% of households own their home in Watson Township. Typical home values rose 4.8% in the year to September 2026.
| Watson Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 87% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $722 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Watson Township’s schools rank ahead of 71% of Illinois districts
Its public schools are run by Effingham CUSD 40. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Grade SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 2–5 | Grades 2–5 | 547 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Watson Township
Watson Township has chilly winters and warm summers. At 87°F, Watson Township’s July high is above both the Illinois town median (84°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F).
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About two in five of Watson Township’s working residents commute to Effingham
Watson Township has about as many jobs (1,701) as working residents, but only 107 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 18 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
Most working residents leave Watson Township for work: only 7% work in town. Watson Township’s average trip to work is 18 minutes. Since 2013, Watson Township has added 409 jobs, to 1,701 in 2023.
| Watson Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.8% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
High risk in Watson Township, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 62% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Watson Township ranks healthier than 60% of the country’s towns
Watson Township beats the Illinois average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 19% of Watson Township adults binge drink.
| Watson Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 13% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 37% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | Watson Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.2% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.1% | 13.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 8% | 6.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0% of Watson Township is conserved land
Just 0 of its 22,805 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Watson Township itself; its outdoors grade is D.
0.8 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Willow Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Watson Township
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Watson Township; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Watson Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
About Watson Township
Village in Illinois, United States
Watson is a village in Effingham County, Illinois, United States. The population was 668 at the 2020 census. Watson is part of the Effingham, Illinois Micropolitan Statistical Area. The village was named after George Watson, a railroad official.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 561 ft
- ZIP code
- 62473
Watson Township’s neighbors
7 towns share a border with Watson Township.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watson Township · Watson | #278 | A− | A | — | B+ | B |
| Union Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jackson Township | — | — | B | — | B− | B− |
| Bishop Township | — | — | A− | — | A | B+ |
| Teutopolis Township | #3 | A+ | A− | — | A+ | A− |
| Douglas Township | #104 | A | A− | — | B+ | B |
| St. Francis Township | — | — | A | — | A | A− |
Jackson Township, Bishop Township and St. Francis Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Watson Township, Jackson Township, Bishop Township, Teutopolis Township, Douglas Township and St. Francis Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Union Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Watson and Watson Township are one community, graded once. Compare Watson Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Watson Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Watson Township, IL a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Watson Township grades A− overall, better than 76% of U.S. towns and #278 of 767 in Illinois. It grades B for health and B+ for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Watson Township, IL expensive?
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.