Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety67#309/924
Economy22#724/925
Housing69#285/925
Health51#454/925
Healthcare17#762/923
Environment15#776/917
Education27#677/925
Infrastructure18#755/925
Community57#396/925
Leisure & amenities73#249/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Canton, IL micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Home price to income ratio · low1.8×
99/100Illinois 3.2×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Severe housing problems · low8.2%
99/100Illinois 15.6%United States 16.8%2017-2021University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Public libraries · high2.4 /10k
98/100Illinois 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties
Uninsured residents (under 65) · low4.6%
96/100Illinois 8.1%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Restaurants and bars · high13.7 /10k
92/100Illinois 10.3 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Social associations · high15.7 /10k
90/100Illinois 9.8 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Dentists · low25 /100k
3/100Illinois 86 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Pharmacies · low0.6 /10k
4/100Illinois 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Public EV charging ports · low0.6 /10k
4/100Illinois 4.8 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyAggregated from counties
New business applications · low7.4 /1k
5/100Illinois 14.9 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Effective property tax rate · high1.71%
5/100Illinois 1.88%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Average weekly wage · low$917
6/100Illinois $1,539United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 50% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+50 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Violent crime rateWorsening
99 /100k (2016) → 266 /100k (2019)
+168%3 yearsUS 397 /100k → 369 /100k
New business applicationsImproving
3.0 /1k (2020) → 7.4 /1k (2025)
+148%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
High ozone daysImproving
1 days (2017) → 0 days (2022)
−100%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Mental health providersImproving
56 /100k (2021) → 92 /100k (2025)
+64%4 yearsUS 282 /100k → 348 /100k
PharmaciesWorsening
1.5 /10k (2020) → 0.6 /10k (2025)
−59%5 yearsUS 1.9 /10k → 1.8 /10k

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, Canton, IL micropolitan area improved on 7 of 21 measures with a comparison and declined on 5. 0 moved within the margin of error and 9 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2020 with 2025); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved7

New businesses+148%3.0 /1k → 7.4 /1k
Real income+38%$43,460 → $59,993
Broadband+10 points77.8% → 87.9%
Unemployment−3.5 points8.3% → 4.8%
High school++2 points88.6% → 90.6%

Declined5

Pharmacies−59%1.5 /10k → 0.6 /10k
Gyms−39%1.5 /10k → 0.9 /10k
Homicides+9.4%3.2 /100k → 3.5 /100k
Rent burden+5.3 points40.6% → 45.9%
Traffic deaths+5.7%16.0 /100k → 16.9 /100k

All 21 measures

Change of every measure of Canton, IL micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.6 /10k2020	3.6 /10k2025	+2%	Little change	34%
Average commute time	24.7 min2015-2019	25.8 min2020-2024	+1.1 min	Little change	28%
Average weekly wage	$7412020	$9172025	+24%	Improved	55%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.6%2015-2019	18.5%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Little change	16%
Broadband subscriptions	77.8%2015-2019	87.9%2020-2024	+10 points	Improved	64%
Distance to an airport	120 mi2020	120 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	15.1 /100k2020	11.0 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−27%	Improved	54%
Firearm deaths	9.8 /100k2020	10.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+2%	Little change	46%
Grocery stores	1.8 /10k2020	1.8 /10k2025	+2%	Little change	59%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.5 /10k2020	0.9 /10k2025	−39%	Declined	8%
High school diploma or higher	88.6%2015-2019	90.6%2020-2024	+2 points	Improved	59%
Homicide rate	3.2 /100k2020	3.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+9.4%	Declined	16%
Income adjusted for local prices	$43,4602019	$59,9932024	+38%	Improved	85%
New business applications	3.0 /1k2020	7.4 /1k2025	+148%	Improved	98%
Pharmacies	1.5 /10k2020	0.6 /10k2025	−59%	Declined	1%
Public libraries	2.3 /10k2019	2.4 /10k2024	+4.4%	Little change	85%
Rent-burdened households	40.6%2015-2019	45.9%2020-2024	+5.3 points	Declined	16%
Restaurants and bars	14.0 /10k2020	13.7 /10k2025	−2.3%	Little change	34%
Suicide rate	14.5 /100k2020	14.6 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+0.7%	Little change	59%
Traffic deaths	16.0 /100k2015-2019	16.9 /100k2020-2024	+5.7%	Declined	52%
Unemployment rate	8.3%2020	4.8%2025	−3.5 points	Improved	67%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 786 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Canton, IL micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Canton, IL micropolitan area 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, Canton, IL micropolitan area itself moved −4.6 points in standing on average over the same 20 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

33,020 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69
50–59

Income

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

Household income

13,795 households (±289)

Canton, IL micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k17%2,384
$25k–50k24%3,359
$50k–75k18%2,532
$75k–100k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

13,795 households (±289)

Canton, IL micropolitan area
United States share

Own77%10,565
Rent23%3,230

Table view

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

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

13,519 workers (±472)

Canton, IL micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone83%11,190
Carpool7.8%1,057
Public transit0.1%†9

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 no occupation wages for Canton, IL micropolitan area.

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.

Canton, IL has 596 employer establishments, 181 for every 10,000 residents (0.73× the US rate of 248), with 6,400 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,945. The Census Bureau also counts 1,587 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 596; 1,587 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 181; US 248
Paid employees: 6,400
Average annual pay: $43,945; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	50	15.2	0.83×About typical	667	$15,829	10
Ambulatory health care services	41	12.5	0.60×Fewer than typical	535	$62,718	43
Specialty trade contractors	40	12.2	0.79×Fewer than typical	198	$66,545	145
Religious organizations	39	11.9	2.14×More than typical	126	$16,714	—
Full-service restaurants	23	7	0.91×About typical	189	$16,746	3
Truck transportation	23	7	1.38×More than typical	86	$54,965	62
Construction of buildings	20	6.1	0.80×About typical	57	$42,842	74
Gasoline stations	19	5.8	1.78×More than typical	167	$24,838	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	18	5.5	1.09×About typical	79	$31,734	28
Banks and credit unions	18	5.5	1.69×More than typical	277	$59,029	—
Insurance agencies and brokerages	17	5.2	1.18×About typical	59	$41,915	26
Limited-service restaurants	17	5.2	0.64×Fewer than typical	381	$16,236	3

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 32,872 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $1.3M on contracts performed in Canton, IL micropolitan area: $40.32 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $1.3M; +204% vs FY2025
Per resident: $40.32; US $1,994
Sole-source: 5.7%; US 30%
Single offer: 94%; 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

Department of the Army$1.3M94%
Department of Veterans Affairs$68.9K5.2%
Consumer Product Safety Commission$6,9770.5%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

3.9MFY2017
1.1MFY2018
1.4MFY2019
-265.3KFY2020
3.5MFY2021
594.6KFY2022
-7.3KFY2023
1.8MFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$1.2M93%
Building equipment contractors · 2382$68.9K5.2%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$17.5K1.3%
Data processing, hosting, and related services · 5182$6,9770.5%

Largest awards

CAMP ELLIS FCA2 CORRECTIVE ACTION TO$1.3M
JACOBS ENGINEERING GROUP INC.· Fulton County, IL· Construction & real property· Jun 8, 2026 – Jun 8, 2026· W912QR26FA167
CEMR FCA 2 - CORRECTIVE ACTION$483K
ESI-ATC JV LLC· Fulton County, IL· Facilities & utilities· Jul 2, 2021 – Feb 27, 2026· W912QR21F0252
EMERGENCY BOILER TUBING REPAIR SERVICES.$68.9K
JARVIS WELDING, L.L.P.· Fulton County, IL· Equipment maintenance· Feb 4, 2026 – Feb 4, 2026· 36C25226P0237
DATA COLLECTION ON CONSUMER PRODUCT RELATED INJURIES.$42.9K

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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $249M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Canton, IL micropolitan area: $7,568 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $249M; +4.3% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,568; US $12,955
Loan face value: $3.9M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 4.2%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$139.5M56%
20.287 · Surface Transportation Block Grant Program$17.8M7.2%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$17.6M7.1%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$17.4M7.0%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$16.5M6.6%
10.990 · Farmer Bridge Assistance Program$6.3M2.5%
20.279 · National Highway Performance Program (NHPP)$6.1M2.4%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$5.8M2.3%

Top recipients (organizations)

ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$29.3M12%
SPRINGFIELD, IL
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF FULTON COUNTY$2.9M1.1%
CANTON, IL
SPOON RIVER COLLEGE$2.4M1.0%
CANTON, IL
NATIONAL BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, THE$593.6K0.2%
LEWISTOWN, IL
CANTON CO CLUB APTS

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$179.1M72%
Federal Highway Administration$29.3M12%
Department of Transportation
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$20M8.0%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Farm Service Agency$9.4M3.8%
Department of Agriculture
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing

Assistance by fiscal year

222.9MFY2021
198.8MFY2022
203.1MFY2023
225.5MFY2024
238.8MFY2025
249MFY2026

County aggregates

81%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Canton, IL

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Fulton CountyCentral county4932,901

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

CantonPrincipal city13,144

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Illinois

Areas based in Illinois, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M15900

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved7

Declined5

Metro and micro areas like Canton, IL micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Canton, IL

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Illinois

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved7

Declined5

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type