Laketown southeast corner, 2023
Woodside Township’s story
170 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2023 and 4 maps from 1922 on.
- 1856Woodside Township is settled
Woodside TownshipIL
8 bordering townsMap →
Photo: User:Visviva · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
11,300
2025 Census estimate · −2.3% since 2020
Median home value
$130K
Census ACS
Household income
$73K
median
Median age
43.4
years
Jobs based here
7,545
Balanced
TownGrade
B
#372 of 767 in IL
Is Woodside Township a good place to live?
Woodside Township gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $130K for a typical one, or 1.7 years of the Springfield metro’s $76K median household income. It grades B overall, 372nd among Illinois's 767 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its schools rank behind 84% of the state's. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 90% of U.S. towns. Woodside Township’s average trip to work is 18 minutes, below both Illinois’ towns (26 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Southern View Community Park, at 30 acres with 1.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
What makes Woodside Township stand out
Where Woodside Township beats most towns.
How Woodside Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Woodside Township is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 12.1 of 20; 4.8% of households have no carAOpen →SchoolsC−Open →Cost of livingB+Open →HealthSt. Johns Hospital 5.4 miles awayB+Open →Jobs & incomeBOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 40% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors2 miles of trails; 1% conserved landCOpen →HistoryB−Open →Civic life0.5 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 15 attractions →Lincoln Tomb and 10 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Woodside Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw6 mi LandmarkLincoln Tomb
5 mi National Historic SiteLincoln Home National Historic Site124K visitors a year5 mi National MonumentSpringfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument
5 mi MuseumOld State Capitol State Historic Site
19 mi MuseumLincoln's New Salem
5 mi MuseumIllinois State MuseumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Lincoln 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
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Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Woodside Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Woodside Township, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSpringfield water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Woodside Township’s trash rules yet
SchoolsBall-Chatham Community Unit School District 5Springfield School District 1862 districts serve Woodside Township; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
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 hereSangamon County ClerkSangamon County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes62703, 62704, 62712, 6271162703 47% · 62704 41% · 62712 6% · 62711 5%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 Woodside Township.
Woodside Township is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has commutes shorter than most of Illinois.
SchoolsC−
Woodside Township earns a C− for schools
Its public schools are run by Springfield SD 186. One of its 5 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
16%of IL districts it outscoresC−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 517 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
HealthB+
Woodside Township ranks healthier than 66% of the country’s towns
Against the 10,744 U.S. towns with household incomes like Woodside Township’s, it is healthier than 81%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Woodside Township beats the Illinois average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 20% of Woodside Township adults have been diagnosed with depression.
66%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
| Woodside Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 22% | 23% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 80% | 78% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 17% | 17% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
3 better27 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Woodside Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.8% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.4% | 13.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.4% | 7.6% |
St. Johns Hospital
5.4 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
52nd
percentile among IL towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Woodside Township has four seasons and pleasant summers
Woodside Township has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 20° and about 22 inches of snow falls in a winter.
22″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter22–39°
Spring43–64°
Summer64–85°
Fall44–66°
Oct 20
typical first frost
Apr 14
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
#459for trails in IL
| Woodside Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.9% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
0.9%
conserved · 67 of 7,748 acres
2.1 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Southern View Community Park | 1.2 mi | 30 |
| 2. Hobbs Park | — | 10 |
| 3. Jack McDonald Village Park | 0.1 mi | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
About two in three of Woodside Township’s working residents commute to Springfield
The average commute for its 5,107 working residents takes 17.7 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois. Jobs based here grew from 3,397 in 2013 to 7,545.
Most working residents leave Woodside Township for work: only 5% work in town. Since 2013, Woodside Township has added 4,148 jobs, to 7,545 in 2023. 12% of residents live below the poverty line in Woodside Township.
5%work in town
| Woodside Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.2% | 8.4% | 8% |
| Median household income | $73,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 13% | 11% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In Woodside Township5%
Springfield63%
Chicago2%
Decatur2%
Bloomington1%
4 mi
median commute distance
7,545
jobs based in Woodside Township
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
A
Walkability grade: more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Who lives here
Older than Illinois overall
People 65 and older are 22% of residents (17% statewide). Woodside Township has lost 2.3% of its people since 2020, down to 11,300 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. The median age in Woodside Township is 43.4 years.
43.4median age · IL 39
| Woodside Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 19% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 29% | 29% |
| Median age | 43.4 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
Woodside TownshipIllinoisUnited States
Ages · share of residents
15%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma9%
High school26%
Some college21%
Associate’s9%
Bachelor’s21%
Graduate15%
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
About 86 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.1 points). Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Woodside Township | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.5% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.4% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.5% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.6% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.5% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.6% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.7% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.7% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.5% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.5% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.7% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.9% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.6% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.3% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Woodside Township faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 22 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Woodside Township.
40risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
22
paid flood claims since 1979
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Woodside Township
18pages on Woodside Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Woodside Township
University of Illinois SpringfieldUniversity or college · Public · Springfield2.7 mi$12,252 in-state tuitionLincoln Land Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Springfield3 mi$3,744 in-state tuitionSt. John's College-Department of NursingUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Springfield5.4 mi
About 3 of every 100 Woodside Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
About Woodside Township
Township in Illinois, United States
Woodside Township is located in Sangamon County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 11,447 and it contained 5,668 housing units.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 13 sq mi
Woodside Township’s neighbors
8 towns share a border with Woodside Township.
Chatham next door grades higher for schools (A− to Woodside Township’s C−) and lower for cost of living (C+ to B+).
Capital TownshipSpringfieldJeromeSouthern ViewLeland GroveCurran TownshipChathamRochester TownshipWoodside Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodside Township | #372 | B | B+ | — | C− | B+ |
| Capital Township | #580 | C | B | — | C− | B− |
| Springfield | #702 | D | B | D− | C− | C+ |
| Jerome | — | — | A− | — | D− | C |
| Southern View | — | — | B | D | D− | C− |
| Leland Grove | — | — | C− | — | D− | A |
| Curran Township | — | — | C+ | — | B− | A− |
| Chatham | #92 | A | C+ | B+ | A− | A |
Jerome, Southern View, Leland Grove and Curran Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Woodside Township, Capital Township, Jerome, Leland Grove and Curran Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Woodside Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Woodside Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Woodside Township, IL a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Woodside Township grades B overall, better than 64% of U.S. towns and #372 of 767 in Illinois. It grades B+ for health and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Woodside 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 B+.