Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Zion earns a D, 698th among Illinois's 767 graded towns, mostly because of schools. Its schools rank behind 89% of the state's. What it does well: it has 11 miles of trail. 17% of the land in Zion is conserved, above both Illinois’ towns (3.6%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Only 6 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns score higher on hazard risk. Zion's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 97% of U.S. towns.
Where Zion beats most towns.
17.1% of the town is conserved land, across 21 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Zion is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,789 in 1910, 24,655 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1865 and 5 maps from 1906 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Zion. Close and well known come first.
Big draw37 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw8 mi Theme parkSix Flags Great America3.0M visitors a year
32 mi Stadium & arenaAllstate Arena
39 mi TheatreSteppenwolf Theatre Company
29 mi MuseumMcDonald's #1 Store Museum
38 mi Park & preserveLincoln ParkWrigley Field: Ryan Dickey, CC BY 2.0 · Six Flags Great America: Feather Better, CC BY 4.0 · Allstate Arena: Nkon21, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Steppenwolf Theatre Company: victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · McDonald's #1 Store Museum: Bruce Marlin, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Lincoln Park: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Zion, 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 Zion.
Zion carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Illinois (mostly inland flooding), is one of Illinois’s best towns for the outdoors and costs less than Beach Park or any other town next door.
That grade ranks #15 of 768 in Illinois.
The trail network density in Zion is 1.1 miles per square mile. North Point Marina, at 218 acres with 1.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. 21 parks and preserves cover 936 acres in the town.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. North Point Marina | 1.7 mi | 218 |
| 2. Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park | 0.8 mi | 543 |
| 3. Hermon Park | 0.7 mi | 19 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 99% of Illinois towns, with expected losses of about $190 per resident a year; that rating is what its A+ for hazard risk is built on.
The national flood insurance program has paid 12 claims in Zion since 1978. Expected losses in Zion break down as 31% from inland flooding and 30% from cold waves. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid in 7 declared disasters, most recently in 2013.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here fell from 5,797 in 2013 to 4,211.
Only 6% of working residents stay in Zion for work; the rest commute out. Among residents locally, 16% live below the poverty line, above both the Illinois town median (8.4%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Jobs based in the town fell to 4,211 in 2023, 1,586 fewer than in 2013. Its income of the median household stands at $63,000.
| Zion | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 8.1% | 11% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
All 5 graded neighbors score healthier than its C, from Benton Township (C+) to Wadsworth (A).
Nearly a quarter of adults say their health is fair or poor in Zion. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Zion is ahead of Illinois on 2 and behind on 16. In Zion, 14% of adults binge drink, and 19% have been diagnosed with depression.
| Zion | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 13% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 7.9% | 8.1% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 18% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | Zion | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.7% | 7.6% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 14.3% | 17.8% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 13% | 7.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 483 to 295 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
In Zion, the level of violent crime is 3.3 per 1,000 residents. Its level of property crime comes in at 8.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Zion | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.3 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.7 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expect chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers in Zion. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 16° and about 36 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Its typical home is the least expensive on its borders; Beach Park is next at $307K. Home values rose 50% in five years, to about $256K, against 30% across Illinois.
The share of households in Zion who own their home: 58%. Typical home values rose 6.7% in the year to September 2026. On the market in the town: a median 55 days to sell.
| Zion | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,186 a month | $1,128 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
8 within 15 miles of the center of Zion
About 5 of every 100 Zion residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
Where Zion’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Zion on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Zion.
City in Illinois, US
Zion is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 United States census, the population was 24,655.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Zion.
All 5 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Benton Township (C−) is closest.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zion · Zion Township | #698 | D | C+ | C | D | C |
| Benton Township | #643 | C− | C | — | C− | C+ |
| Beach Park | #606 | C | C+ | — | D | B− |
| Wadsworth | #499 | B− | C | — | C | A |
| Newport Township | #443 | B | C− | — | B | B+ |
| Winthrop Harbor | #553 | C+ | C | — | C | B |
Benton Township, Beach Park, Wadsworth, Newport Township and Winthrop Harbor report no FBI crime data of their own. Zion Township and Zion are one community, graded once. Compare Zion with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Zion grades D overall, better than 13% of U.S. towns and #698 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C for health, C for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 2.8 years of the area's median household income ($90,887 across the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
10 notable people were born here, including Gary Coleman and Richard Bull.
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