Village · Champaign County, Illinois

Homer, Illinois

Homer is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, part of the Champaign-Urbana, IL metro area. It has 1,245 residents. Homer, Illinois has a quality-of-life score of 40 out of 100 (low), ranking #9,417 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Illinois it ranks #436 of 697 cities and towns. It ranks best on distance to an Amtrak station (low), home price to income ratio (low) and primary care physicians (high). It ranks worst on child care cost burden (high), preventable hospital stays (high) and primary care shortage (high).

40Low

Quality-of-life score: #9,417 of 15,651 cities and towns
Illinois: #436 of 697 in IL
Population: 1,245 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 1,270.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 1735814

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 76 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.

Safety35#10,173/15,637
Economy52#7,495/15,631
Housing61#5,913/14,977
Health70#4,679/15,609
Healthcare43#8,914/15,650
Environment33#10,395/15,453
Education17#12,941/15,649
Infrastructure18#12,822/15,650
Community59#6,457/15,651
Leisure & amenities61#6,058/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Distance to an Amtrak station · low4 mi
99/100Illinois 13 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauChampaign County value
Home price to income ratio · low1.7×
96/100Illinois 3.2×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Primary care physicians · high113 /100k
90/100Illinois 82 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteChampaign County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Illinois 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteChampaign County value
Restaurants and bars · high11.5 /10k
85/100Illinois 10.3 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsChampaign County value
Unemployment rate · low2.1%
81/100Illinois 4.6%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty

Weaknesses

Child care cost burden · high47.1%
1/100Illinois 30.4%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteChampaign County value
Preventable hospital stays · high5,093 /100k
2/100Illinois 3,343 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteChampaign County value
Primary care shortage · high18.0
5/100Illinois 6.6United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationChampaign County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.580
8/100Illinois 0.481United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Distance to an airport · high106 mi
8/100Illinois 35 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauChampaign County value
Math scores · low2.63
10/100Illinois 2.90United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteChampaign County value

Trends

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

Income inequality (Gini index)Worsening
0.380 (2015-2019) → 0.580 (2020-2024)
+53%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483
Median household incomeImproving
$56,298 (2015-2019) → $85,875 (2020-2024)
+53%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent as share of incomeImproving
29.8% (2015-2019) → 21.3% (2020-2024)
−8.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
49.3% (2015-2019) → 44.1% (2020-2024)
−5.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
81.2% (2015-2019) → 85.8% (2020-2024)
+4.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Poverty rateWorsening
7.1% (2015-2019) → 11.0% (2020-2024)
+3.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

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, Homer, Illinois improved on 1 of 9 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 7 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.

Improved1

Household income+53%$56,298 → $85,875

Declined1

Inequality+0.2000.380 → 0.580

All 9 measures

Change of every measure of Homer, Illinois between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	27.5 min2015-2019	26.1 min2020-2024	−1.4 min	Within the margin of error	65%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.3%2015-2019	14.5%2020-2024	−1.8 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Broadband subscriptions	81.2%2015-2019	85.8%2020-2024	+4.5 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Effective property tax rate	1.95%2015-2019	1.45%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	91%
High school diploma or higher	93.6%2015-2019	94.0%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	38%
Home price to income ratio	1.8×2015-2019	1.7×2020-2024	−0.1×	Within the margin of error	85%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3802015-2019	0.5802020-2024	+0.200	Declined	0%
Median household income	$56,2982015-2019	$85,8752020-2024	+53%	Improved	87%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%

“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 Homer, Illinois five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Homer, 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, Homer, Illinois itself moved −10.6 points in standing on average over the same 8 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

1,245 residents (±260)

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: 10–19 women (−5.4 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

1,245 residents (±260)

Homer, Illinois
Illinois share

White93%1,162
Black1.9%†24
Hispanic or Latino3.1%†38

Education

784 residents (±135)

Homer, Illinois
Illinois share

No high school diploma6.0%†47
High school or GED42%326
Some college21%166

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

485 households (±100)

Homer, Illinois
Illinois share

Under $25k13%†61
$25k–50k15%†71
$50k–75k19%†90
$75k–100k20%†99
$100k–150k16%†76
$150k–200k6.6%†32
$200k or more12%†56

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+8.1 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

485 households (±100)

Homer, Illinois
Illinois share

Own79%383
Rent21%†102

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 B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

102 households (±68)

Homer, Illinois
Illinois share

Under $75013%†13
$750–1,00043%†44
$1,000–1,50037%†38

Home values

383 homes (±77)

Homer, Illinois
Illinois share

Under $150k51%†197
$150k–250k40%†152
$250k–400k5.7%†22

Age of homes

525 homes (±101)

Homer, Illinois
Illinois share

2010 or later5.1%†27
2000–20095.0%†26
1980–19995.7%†30

Size of homes

525 homes (±101)

Homer, Illinois
Illinois share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom3.6%†19
2 bedrooms31%†161

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

635 workers (±164)

Homer, Illinois
Illinois share

Drive alone88%561
Carpool3.9%†25
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home7.7%†49
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+5.2 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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

586 workers (±163)

Homer, Illinois
Illinois share

Under 15 min18%†107
15–29 min27%†159
30–44 min51%†298

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

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 Champaign-Urbana, 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 Champaign County, the county holding most of Homer's residents.

Champaign County has 4,237 employer establishments, 203 for every 10,000 residents (0.82× the US rate of 248; 0.80× Illinois's), with 73,261 paid employees at an average annual pay of $55,721. The Census Bureau also counts 14,077 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 4,237; 14,077 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 203; US 248 · Illinois 255
Paid employees: 73,261
Average annual pay: $55,721; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	439	21	1.15×About typical	7,837	$21,814	60
Ambulatory health care services	262	12.6	0.60×Fewer than typical	5,165	$133,343	595
Specialty trade contractors	218	10.5	0.68×Fewer than typical	2,398	$76,495	587
Lessors of real estate	204	9.8	0.79×Fewer than typical	1,232	$62,086	1,308
Limited-service restaurants	199	9.5	1.19×About typical	3,931	$19,874	33
Full-service restaurants	188	9	1.17×About typical	3,290	$25,263	18
Religious organizations	150	7.2	1.30×More than typical	1,007	$22,837	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	124	5.9	0.88×About typical	1,266	$36,380	661
Construction of buildings	109	5.2	0.69×Fewer than typical	632	$68,753	250
Insurance agencies and brokerages	100	4.8	1.09×About typical	463	$83,229	193
Offices of other health practitioners	97	4.7	0.77×Fewer than typical	640	$43,722	283
Banks and credit unions	86	4.1	1.28×More than typical	1,359	$72,152	6

Rank places for an industry Open Champaign County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 208,570 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: Homer is mostly in Champaign County.

See federal money in Champaign 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.

Homer, Illinois is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).