Scores by category

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

Safety98#15/924
Economy55#421/925
Housing81#180/925
Health74#243/925
Healthcare88#112/923
Environment35#599/917
Education35#600/925
Infrastructure34#610/925
Community57#397/925
Leisure & amenities62#348/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Strengths

Property crime rate · low309 /100k
98/100Illinois 1,508 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Mental health providers · high838 /100k
98/100Illinois 355 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Uninsured residents (under 65) · low4.7%
95/100Illinois 8.1%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Home price to income ratio · low2.2×
94/100Illinois 3.2×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Grocery stores · high2.7 /10k
94/100Illinois 1.9 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Drug overdose deaths · low7.7 /100k
94/100Illinois 14.2 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
1/100Illinois 1.1 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Effective property tax rate · high1.76%
4/100Illinois 1.88%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
New business applications · low7.7 /1k
7/100Illinois 14.9 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
New homes permitted · low0.8 /1k
15/100Illinois 1.5 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Public EV charging ports · low1.8 /10k
17/100Illinois 4.8 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyAggregated from counties
Child care cost burden · high35.1%
21/100Illinois 30.4%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Trends

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

New business applicationsImproving
4.5 /1k (2020) → 7.7 /1k (2025)
+71%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Property crime rateImproving
1,027 /100k (2020) → 309 /100k (2025)
−70%5 yearsUS 1,929 /100k → 1,535 /100k
Voter turnoutWorsening
74.6% (2020) → 60.9% (2024)
−14 pts4 yearsUS 68.5% → 65.2%
Child care cost burdenWorsening
21.9% (2020 & 2021) → 35.1% (2023 & 2024)
+13 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
Drug overdose deathsImproving
18.1 /100k (2021) → 7.7 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−57%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Mammography screeningImproving
36.0% (2019) → 46.0% (2023)
+10 pts4 yearsUS 43.0% → 46.0%

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, Dixon, IL micropolitan area improved on 12 of 30 measures with a comparison and declined on 3. 9 moved within the margin of error and 6 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 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved12

Homicides−100%3.3 /100k → 0.0 /100k
Property crime−70%1,027 /100k → 309 /100k
Traffic deaths−34%16.3 /100k → 10.8 /100k
Weekly wage+29%$943 → $1,216
Arts & recreation+29%2.3 /10k → 3.0 /10k

Declined3

Commute+2.8 min21.8 min → 24.6 min
Firearm deaths+26%8.4 /100k → 10.6 /100k
Suicides+26%12.7 /100k → 16.0 /100k

All 30 measures

Change of every measure of Dixon, IL micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.3 /10k2020	3.0 /10k2025	+29%	Improved	87%
Average commute time	21.8 min2015-2019	24.6 min2020-2024	+2.8 min	Declined	6%
Average weekly wage	$9432020	$1,2162025	+29%	Improved	89%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.2%2015-2019	19.4%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Broadband subscriptions	80.7%2015-2019	87.4%2020-2024	+6.7 points	Improved	21%
Child poverty rate	16.2%2015-2019	12.0%2020-2024	−4.2 points	Within the margin of error	69%
Distance to an airport	78 mi2020	78 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	18.3 /100k2020	7.7 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−58%	Improved	89%
Effective property tax rate	1.99%2015-2019	1.77%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	80%
Firearm deaths	8.4 /100k2020	10.6 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+26%	Declined	20%
Grocery stores	2.6 /10k2020	2.7 /10k2025	+3.5%	Little change	64%
High school diploma or higher	88.8%2015-2019	91.2%2020-2024	+2.4 points	Within the margin of error	68%
Home price to income ratio	2.1×2015-2019	2.2×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	86%
Homicide rate	3.3 /100k2020	0.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−100%	Improved	95%
Income adjusted for local prices	$47,6242019	$63,4722024	+33%	Improved	61%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4362015-2019	0.4352020-2024	−0.001	Within the margin of error	58%
Median household income	$58,1942015-2019	$70,2922020-2024	+21%	Improved	17%
New business applications	4.5 /1k2020	7.7 /1k2025	+71%	Improved	80%
Pharmacies	1.2 /10k2020	1.2 /10k2025	+3.5%	Little change	81%
Poverty rate	12.5%2015-2019	11.8%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	43%
Property crime rate	1,027 /100k2020	309 /100k2025	−70%	Improved	99%
Public libraries	1.5 /10k2019	1.5 /10k2024	+3.7%	Little change	83%
Rent as share of income	26.1%2015-2019	25.5%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Rent-burdened households	42.2%2015-2019	42.3%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	58%
Restaurants and bars	14.7 /10k2020	14.0 /10k2025	−4.8%	Little change	26%
Suicide rate	12.7 /100k2020	16.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+26%	Declined	19%
Traffic deaths	16.3 /100k2015-2019	10.8 /100k2020-2024	−34%	Improved	96%
Unemployment rate	7.4%2020	4.6%2025	−2.8 points	Improved	46%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.4%2015-2019	4.7%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Violent crime rate	135 /100k2020	109 /100k2025	−20%	Improved	56%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 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; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; 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 Dixon, IL micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Dixon, 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, Dixon, IL micropolitan area itself moved +2 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

33,869 residents

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

13,337 households (±296)

Dixon, IL micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k17%2,211
$25k–50k16%2,166
$50k–75k20%2,721

Homes

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

Owners and renters

13,337 households (±296)

Dixon, IL micropolitan area
United States share

Own74%9,821
Rent26%3,516

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

14,699 workers (±541)

Dixon, IL micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone82%12,059
Carpool9.5%1,393
Public transit0.6%†87

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 Dixon, 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.

Dixon, IL has 690 employer establishments, 210 for every 10,000 residents (0.85× the US rate of 248), with 10,894 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,761. The Census Bureau also counts 1,999 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 690; 1,999 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 210; US 248
Paid employees: 10,894
Average annual pay: $52,761; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	52	15.8	0.86×About typical	849	$19,226	6
Ambulatory health care services	44	13.4	0.64×Fewer than typical	690	$57,686	66
Specialty trade contractors	43	13.1	0.85×About typical	124	$63,444	175
Religious organizations	31	9.4	1.70×More than typical	100	$15,460	—
Full-service restaurants	29	8.8	1.15×About typical	262	$23,473	4
Construction of buildings	28	8.5	1.13×About typical	83	$45,012	63
Truck transportation	28	8.5	1.69×More than typical	150	$74,020	87
Insurance agencies and brokerages	22	6.7	1.52×More than typical	84	$64,321	28
Automotive repair and maintenance	21	6.4	1.27×More than typical	118	$39,271	42
Limited-service restaurants	19	5.8	0.72×Fewer than typical	508	$17,396	—
Building equipment contractors	18	5.5	0.91×About typical	63	$57,556	34
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	18	5.5	4.52×More than typical	81	$13,543	6

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 32,857 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 $181.6K on contracts performed in Dixon, IL micropolitan area: $5.52 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $181.6K; +1,317% vs FY2025
Per resident: $5.52; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 14%; 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

Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services$84.4K46%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$71.3K39%
National Park Service$25.9K14%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

142.3KFY2017
825.4KFY2018
3.3MFY2019
225.2KFY2020
1.1MFY2021
-436.3KFY2022
9.7KFY2023
75.8KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Other general purpose machinery manufacturing · 3339$71.3K39%
Office furniture (including fixtures) manufacturing · 3372$70.7K39%
Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery manufacturing · 3331$25.9K14%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$13.7K7.5%

Largest awards

OR-FWS MALHEUR NWR TWO ROAD MAINTAINER$71.3K
BONNELL INDUSTRIES INC· Lee County, IL· Other equipment & supplies· Sep 25, 2026 – Sep 25, 2026· 140FS126P0310
PROCUREMENT OF OFFICE FURNITURE FOR NRCS, AMBOY (LEE COUNTY), IL$70.7K
MOI, INC.· Lee County, IL· Other equipment & supplies· Aug 11, 2026 – Aug 11, 2026· 12FPC126F0109
LEE COUNTY (AMBOY), IL USDA SERVICE CENTER - JANITORIAL SERVICE CONTRACT$38.6K
SYSTEM4 MID-ATLANTIC LLC· Lee County, IL· Facilities & utilities· Aug 23, 2024 – Aug 13, 2026· 12FPC124P0068
DISTANT DISCHARGE PLOW FOR GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK

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 $245M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Dixon, IL micropolitan area: $7,443 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $245M; −3.1% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,443; US $12,955
Loan face value: $9.8M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 6.7%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$154M63%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$19.6M8.0%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$15.8M6.4%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$15.5M6.3%
10.990 · Farmer Bridge Assistance Program$8.8M3.6%
20.287 · Surface Transportation Block Grant Program$6.6M2.7%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$4.2M1.7%
10.988 · Supplemental Disaster Relief Program$4.1M1.7%

Top recipients (organizations)

ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$4.6M1.9%
SPRINGFIELD, IL
SAUK VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE$3.5M1.4%
DIXON, IL
WHITESIDE COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY$3.2M1.3%
ROCK FALLS, IL
COUNTY OF LEE$1.5M0.6%
DIXON, IL
SINNISSIPPI CENTERS INC$1M

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$193.6M79%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$17.3M7.1%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Farm Service Agency$13.1M5.3%
Department of Agriculture
Federal Highway Administration$4.6M1.9%
Department of Transportation
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing

Assistance by fiscal year

217.7MFY2021
191.1MFY2022
212.8MFY2023
236.3MFY2024
252.7MFY2025
245MFY2026

County aggregates

87%

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 Dixon, 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.

Lee CountyCentral county6432,914

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

DixonPrincipal city14,910

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/M19940

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved12

Declined3

Metro and micro areas like Dixon, 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 Dixon, 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

Improved12

Declined3

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 programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought