City · Lee County, Illinois

Amboy, Illinois

Amboy is a city in Lee County, Illinois, part of the Dixon, IL metro area. It has 2,384 residents. Amboy, Illinois has a quality-of-life score of 40 out of 100 (low), ranking #9,428 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Illinois it ranks #439 of 697 cities and towns. It ranks best on mental health providers (high), property crime rate (low) and homicide rate (low). It ranks worst on math scores (low), gyms and fitness centers (low) and new business applications (low).

40Low

Quality-of-life score: #9,428 of 15,651 cities and towns
Illinois: #439 of 697 in IL
Population: 2,384 (2020-2024)
Land area: 6 mi²
Density: 396.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 1701270

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety93#1,074/15,637
Economy29#11,036/15,631
Housing55#6,693/14,977
Health54#7,117/15,609
Healthcare55#7,115/15,650
Environment30#10,774/15,453
Education8#14,470/15,649
Infrastructure16#13,198/15,650
Community49#7,973/15,651
Leisure & amenities58#6,519/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Amboy, Illinois ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Lee County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Mental health providers · high838 /100k
98/100Illinois 355 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLee County value
Property crime rate · low309 /100k
97/100Illinois 1,508 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationLee County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Illinois 6.2 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataLee County value
Restaurants and bars · high14.0 /10k
93/100Illinois 10.3 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLee County value
Grocery stores · high2.7 /10k
92/100Illinois 1.9 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLee County value
Home price to income ratio · low2.0×
92/100Illinois 3.2×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077

Weaknesses

Math scores · low2.42
2/100Illinois 2.90United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLee County value
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Illinois 1.1 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLee County value
New business applications · low7.7 /1k
5/100Illinois 14.9 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauLee County value
Bachelor's degree or higher · low10.5%
8/100Illinois 37.8%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Hospital quality rating · low2.0
9/100Illinois 3.0United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesLee County value
Reading scores · low2.74
12/100Illinois 2.97United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLee County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Child poverty rateImproving
17.8% (2015-2019) → 10.4% (2020-2024)
−7.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$52,330 (2015-2019) → $68,258 (2020-2024)
+30%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
16.0% (2015-2019) → 10.5% (2020-2024)
−5.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Unemployment rateWorsening
3.3% (2015-2019) → 8.3% (2020-2024)
+5 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
1.7× (2015-2019) → 2.0× (2020-2024)
+19%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
4.7% (2015-2019) → 8.3% (2020-2024)
+3.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Amboy, Illinois improved on 2 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Property tax−0.9 points2.07% → 1.16%
Household income+30%$52,330 → $68,258

Declined1

Unemployment+5 points3.3% → 8.3%

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Amboy, Illinois between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	24.8 min2015-2019	28.1 min2020-2024	+3.4 min	Within the margin of error	17%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.0%2015-2019	10.5%2020-2024	−5.6 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Broadband subscriptions	85.4%2015-2019	88.5%2020-2024	+3.1 points	Within the margin of error	20%
Effective property tax rate	2.07%2015-2019	1.16%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Improved	99%
High school diploma or higher	91.5%2015-2019	90.5%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Home price to income ratio	1.7×2015-2019	2.0×2020-2024	+0.3×	Within the margin of error	60%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4432015-2019	0.4062020-2024	−0.037	Within the margin of error	78%
Median household income	$52,3302015-2019	$68,2582020-2024	+30%	Improved	56%
Poverty rate	14.2%2015-2019	13.3%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Rent as share of income	31.3%2015-2019	33.8%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Within the margin of error	36%
Rent-burdened households	54.0%2015-2019	55.5%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	50%
Unemployment rate	3.3%2015-2019	8.3%2020-2024	+5 points	Declined	4%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.7%2015-2019	8.3%2020-2024	+3.7 points	Within the margin of error	15%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Amboy, Illinois five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Amboy, Illinois in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Amboy, Illinois itself moved −3.9 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

2,384 residents (±174)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,002 households (±118)

Amboy, Illinois
Illinois share

Under $25k22%†220
$25k–50k14%†145
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,002 households (±118)

Amboy, Illinois
Illinois share

Own76%762
Rent24%240

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,247 workers (±144)

Amboy, Illinois
Illinois share

Drive alone93%1,155
Carpool3.7%†46
Public transit0.2%†3

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Dixon, IL

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Lee County, the county holding most of Amboy's residents.

Lee County has 690 employer establishments, 210 for every 10,000 residents (0.85× the US rate of 248; 0.82× Illinois's), with 10,894 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,761. The Census Bureau also counts 1,999 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 690; 1,999 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 210; US 248 · Illinois 255
Paid employees: 10,894
Average annual pay: $52,761; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Lee County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	52	15.8	0.86×About typical	849	$19,226	6
Ambulatory health care services	44	13.4	0.64×Fewer than typical	690	$57,686	66
Specialty trade contractors	43	13.1	0.85×About typical	124	$63,444	175
Religious organizations	31	9.4	1.70×More than typical	100	$15,460	—
Full-service restaurants	29	8.8	1.15×About typical	262	$23,473	4
Construction of buildings	28	8.5	1.13×About typical	83	$45,012	63
Truck transportation	28	8.5	1.69×More than typical	150	$74,020	87
Insurance agencies and brokerages	22	6.7	1.52×More than typical	84	$64,321	28
Automotive repair and maintenance	21	6.4	1.27×More than typical	118	$39,271	42
Limited-service restaurants	19	5.8	0.72×Fewer than typical	508	$17,396	—
Building equipment contractors	18	5.5	0.91×About typical	63	$57,556	34
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	18	5.5	4.52×More than typical	81	$13,543	6

Rank places for an industry Open Lee County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 32,857 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $4,827 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Amboy, Illinois: $2.02 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $4,827; +891% vs FY2025
Per resident: $2.02; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 8.9%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services$3,20866%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$1,18825%
National Park Service$4318.9%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

2KFY2017
2.7KFY2018
55.8KFY2019
3.9KFY2020
17.4KFY2021
-7.2KFY2022
370.4FY2023
1.7KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Office furniture (including fixtures) manufacturing · 3372$2,68856%
Other general purpose machinery manufacturing · 3339$1,18825%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$52011%
Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery manufacturing · 3331$4318.9%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Amboy, Illinois, so they do not add up across cities.

Amboy, Illinois's figures are part of those of Lee County, IL ($181.6K in FY2026), never added to them: 2.7% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Amboy is mostly in Lee County.

See federal money in Lee County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Amboy, Illinois is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Darin LaHoodR-IL-16 · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 5.6%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Lee County64100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Dixon, IL69

Other cities and towns in Lee County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/1701270

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends