City · Douglas County, Illinois

Tuscola, Illinois

Tuscola is a city in Douglas County, Illinois. It has 4,808 residents. Tuscola, Illinois has a quality-of-life score of 63 out of 100 (high), ranking #5,785 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Illinois it ranks #215 of 697 cities and towns. It ranks best on uninsured residents (under 65) (low), homicide rate (low) and rent as share of income (low). It ranks worst on preventable hospital stays (high), distance to an emergency room (high) and pharmacies (low).

63High

Quality-of-life score: #5,785 of 15,651 cities and towns
Illinois: #215 of 697 in IL
Population: 4,808 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 1,630.2 /mi²
FIPS code: 1776407

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
Economy69#4,833/15,631
Housing90#1,519/14,977
Health64#5,690/15,609
Healthcare15#13,377/15,650
Environment9#14,028/15,453
Education43#8,937/15,649
Infrastructure78#3,413/15,650
Community73#4,286/15,651
Leisure & amenities59#6,427/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Tuscola, 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

Uninsured residents (under 65) · low1.2%
96/100Illinois 8.1%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010High uncertainty
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
Rent as share of income · low18.2%
93/100Illinois 29.1%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Home price to income ratio · low2.0×
93/100Illinois 3.2×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Rent-burdened households · low25.7%
92/100Illinois 47.9%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Unemployment rate · low1.1%
91/100Illinois 4.6%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty

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
4,564 (2015-2019) → 4,808 (2020-2024)
+5.3%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
45.2% (2015-2019) → 25.7% (2020-2024)
−19 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
77.6% (2015-2019) → 93.6% (2020-2024)
+16 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New homes permittedWorsening
1.5 /1k (2021) → 0.6 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−57%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent as share of incomeImproving
27.2% (2015-2019) → 18.2% (2020-2024)
−9 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
High school diploma or higherImproving
90.3% (2015-2019) → 98.1% (2020-2024)
+7.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%

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

Improved4

Rent burden−19 points45.2% → 25.7%
Commute−4.7 min21.4 min → 16.7 min
Broadband+16 points77.6% → 93.6%
Household income+38%$56,545 → $78,179

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Tuscola, Illinois between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.4 min2015-2019	16.7 min2020-2024	−4.7 min	Improved	89%
Bachelor's degree or higher	24.8%2015-2019	24.5%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Broadband subscriptions	77.6%2015-2019	93.6%2020-2024	+16 points	Improved	82%
Effective property tax rate	1.95%2015-2019	1.69%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	69%
High school diploma or higher	90.3%2015-2019	98.1%2020-2024	+7.9 points	Within the margin of error	92%
Home price to income ratio	2.0×2015-2019	2.0×2020-2024	−0.1×	Within the margin of error	82%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4592015-2019	0.4232020-2024	−0.036	Within the margin of error	78%
Median household income	$56,5452015-2019	$78,1792020-2024	+38%	Improved	71%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	27.2%2015-2019	18.2%2020-2024	−9 points	Within the margin of error	92%
Rent-burdened households	45.2%2015-2019	25.7%2020-2024	−19 points	Improved	93%

“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 Tuscola, Illinois five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Tuscola, 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, Tuscola, Illinois itself moved +19.2 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

4,808 residents (±215)

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

2,033 households (±187)

Tuscola, Illinois
Illinois share

Under $25k11%†224
$25k–50k18%†364
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

2,033 households (±187)

Tuscola, Illinois
Illinois share

Own73%1,478
Rent27%†555

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+11.4 points).

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

2,510 workers (±245)

Tuscola, Illinois
Illinois share

Drive alone87%2,193
Carpool4.0%†101
Public transit0.0%0

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 Tuscola'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

In FY2026, an estimated $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Tuscola, Illinois: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

20.1KFY2021
-17.3KFY2022

What was bought

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

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Tuscola 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.

Tuscola, 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/1776407

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends