City · Jo Daviess County, Illinois

Galena, Illinois

Galena is a city in Jo Daviess County, Illinois. It has 2,931 residents. Galena, Illinois has a quality-of-life score of 77 out of 100 (high), ranking #3,642 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Illinois it ranks #109 of 697 cities and towns. It ranks best on restaurants and bars (high), public libraries (high) and arts, entertainment and recreation (high). It ranks worst on broadband subscriptions (low), effective property tax rate (high) and average weekly wage (low).

77High

Quality-of-life score: #3,642 of 15,651 cities and towns
Illinois: #109 of 697 in IL
Population: 2,931 (2020-2024)
Land area: 5 mi²
Density: 633.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 1728300

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 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.

Safety55#7,064/15,637
Economy49#7,935/15,631
Housing50#7,457/14,977
Health86#2,216/15,609
Healthcare34#10,387/15,650
Environment81#2,890/15,453
Education90#1,543/15,649
Infrastructure50#7,754/15,650
Community70#4,768/15,651
Leisure & amenities96#649/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Restaurants and bars · high25.0 /10k
99/100Illinois 10.3 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsJo Daviess County value
Public libraries · high2.8 /10k
95/100Illinois 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesJo Daviess County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high9.3 /10k
94/100Illinois 4.8 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsJo Daviess County value
Students per teacher · low11.0×
93/100Illinois 13.6×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsJo Daviess County value
Drug overdose deaths · low7.0 /100k
93/100Illinois 14.2 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataJo Daviess County value
Math scores · high3.42
91/100Illinois 2.90United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteJo Daviess County value

Weaknesses

Broadband subscriptions · low78.3%
6/100Illinois 90.8%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Effective property tax rate · high1.83%
11/100Illinois 1.88%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Average weekly wage · low$953
11/100Illinois $1,539United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsJo Daviess County value
New business applications · low8.8 /1k
13/100Illinois 14.9 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauJo Daviess County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high81 mi
15/100Illinois 13 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauJo Daviess County value
Preventable hospital stays · high3,616 /100k
17/100Illinois 3,343 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteJo Daviess County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
3,249 (2015-2019) → 2,931 (2020-2024)
−9.8%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedImproving
0.3 /1k (2021) → 0.7 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+119%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
27.3% (2015-2019) → 38.9% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.6× (2015-2019) → 4.0× (2020-2024)
+52%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
High school diploma or higherImproving
86.6% (2015-2019) → 95.7% (2020-2024)
+9.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
31.7% (2015-2019) → 36.3% (2020-2024)
+4.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

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, Galena, Illinois improved on 0 of 11 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.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined1

Price / income+1.4×2.6× → 4.0×

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Galena, Illinois between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	15.0 min2015-2019	14.5 min2020-2024	−0.5 min	Within the margin of error	54%
Bachelor's degree or higher	31.7%2015-2019	36.3%2020-2024	+4.6 points	Within the margin of error	64%
Broadband subscriptions	82.4%2015-2019	78.3%2020-2024	−4 points	Within the margin of error	3%
Effective property tax rate	1.97%2015-2019	1.83%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	46%
High school diploma or higher	86.6%2015-2019	95.7%2020-2024	+9.1 points	Within the margin of error	94%
Home price to income ratio	2.6×2015-2019	4.0×2020-2024	+1.4×	Declined	12%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4792015-2019	0.4202020-2024	−0.059	Within the margin of error	87%
Median household income	$57,8512015-2019	$58,6892020-2024	+1.4%	Within the margin of error	9%
Poverty rate	6.4%2015-2019	6.4%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	44%
Rent as share of income	25.5%2015-2019	27.3%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	41%
Rent-burdened households	27.3%2015-2019	38.9%2020-2024	+12 points	Within the margin of error	20%

“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 Galena, Illinois five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Galena, 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, Galena, Illinois itself moved −4.6 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

2,931 residents (±307)

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

1,717 households (±198)

Galena, Illinois
Illinois share

Under $25k19%†334
$25k–50k22%†375
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,717 households (±198)

Galena, Illinois
Illinois share

Own56%962
Rent44%755

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

1,539 workers (±230)

Galena, Illinois
Illinois share

Drive alone59%903
Carpool9.6%†148
Public transit3.6%†55

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 Jo Daviess County, the county holding most of Galena's residents.

Jo Daviess County has 673 employer establishments, 309 for every 10,000 residents (1.24× the US rate of 248; 1.21× Illinois's), with 6,609 paid employees at an average annual pay of $48,549. The Census Bureau also counts 1,926 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 673; 1,926 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 309; US 248 · Illinois 255
Paid employees: 6,609
Average annual pay: $48,549; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	65	29.8	1.93×More than typical	258	$66,492	124
Restaurants and other eating places	52	23.9	1.30×More than typical	648	$22,627	10
Full-service restaurants	33	15.1	1.97×More than typical	380	$24,955	3
Truck transportation	32	14.7	2.90×More than typical	113	$53,743	51
Ambulatory health care services	28	12.8	0.62×Fewer than typical	159	$49,000	45
Services to buildings and dwellings	24	11	1.63×More than typical	45	$63,467	150
Other specialty trade contractors	22	10.1	4.02×More than typical	97	$67,144	45
Landscaping services	21	9.6	2.75×More than typical	36	$68,972	59
Traveler accommodation	21	9.6	5.34×More than typical	697	$29,162	32
Building equipment contractors	20	9.2	1.52×More than typical	110	$58,636	17
Automotive repair and maintenance	19	8.7	1.73×More than typical	54	$53,093	32
Clothing and accessories stores	19	8.7	2.40×More than typical	58	$20,724	21

Rank places for an industry Open Jo Daviess County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 21,801 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 $14K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Galena, Illinois: $4.78 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $14K; −16% vs FY2025
Per resident: $4.78; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Environmental Protection Agency$14K100%

Top recipients

CH2M HILL, INC$14K100%
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT, INC$00.0%

Spending by fiscal year

971.3FY2017
118.3FY2018
428.6FY2019
1.7KFY2020
30.3KFY2021
26KFY2022
130KFY2023
17.2KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$14K100%

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 Galena, Illinois, so they do not add up across cities.

Galena, Illinois's figures are part of those of Jo Daviess County, IL ($338.1K in FY2026), never added to them: 4.1% of that total.

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

See federal money in Jo Daviess 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.

Galena, 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.

Jo Daviess County89100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Jo Daviess 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/1728300

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends