City · Douglas County, Illinois

Arcola, Illinois

Arcola is a city in Douglas County, Illinois. It has 2,892 residents. Arcola, Illinois has a quality-of-life score of 45 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #8,636 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Illinois it ranks #394 of 697 cities and towns. It ranks best on home price to income ratio (low), income inequality (Gini index) (low) and average commute time (low). It ranks worst on preventable hospital stays (high), distance to an emergency room (high) and pharmacies (low).

45Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #8,636 of 15,651 cities and towns
Illinois: #394 of 697 in IL
Population: 2,892 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 1,429.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 1701881

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 70 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.

Safety78#3,518/15,637
Economy54#7,174/15,631
Housing76#3,568/14,977
Health50#7,864/15,609
Healthcare4#15,070/15,650
Environment9#14,028/15,453
Education32#10,579/15,649
Infrastructure45#8,644/15,650
Community69#4,899/15,651
Leisure & amenities59#6,427/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Arcola, Illinois ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Douglas 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

Home price to income ratio · low1.4×
99/100Illinois 3.2×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.324
98/100Illinois 0.481United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Average commute time · low13.9 min
96/100Illinois 27.8 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Illinois 6.2 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataDouglas County value
Public libraries · high2.0 /10k
91/100Illinois 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesDouglas County value
Restaurants and bars · high12.6 /10k
89/100Illinois 10.3 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsDouglas County value

Weaknesses

Preventable hospital stays · high5,283 /100k
1/100Illinois 3,343 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDouglas County value
Distance to an emergency room · high18.8 mi
4/100Illinois 4.0 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesDouglas County value
Pharmacies · low0.5 /10k
4/100Illinois 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsDouglas County value
Mental health providers · low45 /100k
5/100Illinois 355 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDouglas County value
Distance to an airport · high106 mi
9/100Illinois 35 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauDouglas County value
Mental health care shortage · high18.0
11/100Illinois 12.2United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationDouglas County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
2,731 (2015-2019) → 2,892 (2020-2024)
+5.9%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedImproving
0.7 /1k (2021) → 2.4 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+236%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Median household incomeImproving
$47,297 (2015-2019) → $89,827 (2020-2024)
+90%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Child poverty rateImproving
25.3% (2015-2019) → 10.8% (2020-2024)
−15 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Poverty rateImproving
16.3% (2015-2019) → 9.6% (2020-2024)
−6.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
47.9% (2015-2019) → 41.3% (2020-2024)
−6.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

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, Arcola, Illinois improved on 4 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 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.

Improved4

Household income+90%$47,297 → $89,827
Price / income−0.6×2.0× → 1.4×
Child poverty−15 points25.3% → 10.8%
Inequality−0.0570.380 → 0.324

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Arcola, Illinois between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	15.5 min2015-2019	13.9 min2020-2024	−1.7 min	Within the margin of error	67%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.0%2015-2019	20.9%2020-2024	+4.9 points	Within the margin of error	67%
Broadband subscriptions	83.4%2015-2019	89.3%2020-2024	+5.9 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Child poverty rate	25.3%2015-2019	10.8%2020-2024	−15 points	Improved	88%
Effective property tax rate	2.06%2015-2019	1.78%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	71%
High school diploma or higher	79.8%2015-2019	84.6%2020-2024	+4.8 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Home price to income ratio	2.0×2015-2019	1.4×2020-2024	−0.6×	Improved	95%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3802015-2019	0.3242020-2024	−0.057	Improved	86%
Median household income	$47,2972015-2019	$89,8272020-2024	+90%	Improved	97%
Poverty rate	16.3%2015-2019	9.6%2020-2024	−6.8 points	Within the margin of error	86%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	26.8%2015-2019	23.9%2020-2024	−2.9 points	Within the margin of error	74%
Rent-burdened households	47.9%2015-2019	41.3%2020-2024	−6.6 points	Within the margin of error	75%
Unemployment rate	5.5%2015-2019	5.4%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	13.8%2015-2019	9.4%2020-2024	−4.4 points	Within the margin of error	84%

“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 Arcola, Illinois five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Arcola, 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, Arcola, Illinois itself moved +10.6 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

2,892 residents (±158)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 20–29 women (−4.7 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

2,892 residents (±158)

Arcola, Illinois
Illinois share

White53%1,530
Black1.3%†37
Hispanic or Latino44%1,280

Education

1,889 residents (±139)

Arcola, Illinois
Illinois share

No high school diploma15%†290
High school or GED33%615
Some college19%352

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

969 households (±78)

Arcola, Illinois
Illinois share

Under $25k11%†110
$25k–50k15%†142
$50k–75k8.7%†84
$75k–100k24%236
$100k–150k28%†276
$150k–200k9.4%†91
$200k or more3.1%†30

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (+19.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

969 households (±78)

Arcola, Illinois
Illinois share

Own75%724
Rent25%245

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

201 households (±68)

Arcola, Illinois
Illinois share

Under $75047%†95
$750–1,00033%†66
$1,000–1,50020%†40

Home values

724 homes (±99)

Arcola, Illinois
Illinois share

Under $150k64%463
$150k–250k21%†154
$250k–400k12%†88

Age of homes

1,042 homes (±88)

Arcola, Illinois
Illinois share

2010 or later8.9%†93
2000–20097.0%†73
1980–199921%†220

Size of homes

1,042 homes (±88)

Arcola, Illinois
Illinois share

Studio0.8%†8
1 bedroom5.9%†62
2 bedrooms25%260

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

1,406 workers (±134)

Arcola, Illinois
Illinois share

Drive alone78%1,098
Carpool12%†173
Public transit0.0%0
Walk1.0%†14
Bike1.8%†26
Work from home5.3%†74
Other1.5%†21

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

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,332 workers (±139)

Arcola, Illinois
Illinois share

Under 15 min68%901
15–29 min15%†205
30–44 min6.8%†90

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 Douglas County, the county holding most of Arcola's residents.

Douglas County has 575 employer establishments, 291 for every 10,000 residents (1.17× the US rate of 248; 1.14× Illinois's), with 6,850 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,494. The Census Bureau also counts 1,651 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 575; 1,651 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 291; US 248 · Illinois 255
Paid employees: 6,850
Average annual pay: $52,494; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	51	25.8	1.67×More than typical	196	$60,898	163
Restaurants and other eating places	37	18.7	1.02×About typical	630	$19,556	9
Ambulatory health care services	23	11.6	0.56×Fewer than typical	136	$52,846	28
Truck transportation	23	11.6	2.30×More than typical	153	$66,157	71
Construction of buildings	22	11.1	1.47×More than typical	102	$50,020	64
Religious organizations	22	11.1	2.01×More than typical	62	$16,387	—
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	21	10.6	3.37×More than typical	94	$64,617	33
Full-service restaurants	19	9.6	1.25×More than typical	316	$20,984	3
Limited-service restaurants	16	8.1	1.01×About typical	314	$18,076	—
Gasoline stations	15	7.6	2.34×More than typical	197	$32,066	—
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	14	7.1	1.74×More than typical	45	$27,867	19
Insurance agencies and brokerages	13	6.6	1.50×More than typical	54	$55,185	25

Rank places for an industry Open Douglas County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 19,757 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

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

See federal money in Douglas 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.

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

House

Mary E. MillerR-IL-15 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 3.9%

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.

Douglas County57100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Douglas 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/1701881