Scores by category

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

Safety79#194/924
Economy9#845/925
Housing29#661/925
Health60#370/925
Healthcare29#657/923
Environment42#529/917
Education83#161/925
Infrastructure39#566/925
Community77#215/925
Leisure & amenities54#426/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Strengths

Distance to an Amtrak station · low4 mi
99/100Illinois 13 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Home price to income ratio · low2.0×
97/100Illinois 3.2×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Traffic deaths · low6.7 /100k
96/100Illinois 9.8 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationAggregated from counties
Public libraries · high1.5 /10k
90/100Illinois 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties
Drug overdose deaths · low8.8 /100k
89/100Illinois 14.2 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Average commute time · low18.6 min
88/100Illinois 27.8 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013

Weaknesses

New homes permitted · low0.0 /1k
1/100Illinois 1.5 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Job growth · low-4.7%
2/100Illinois 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
Effective property tax rate · high1.82%
3/100Illinois 1.88%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
New business applications · low7.9 /1k
8/100Illinois 14.9 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.4 /10k
9/100Illinois 1.1 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Median household income · low$52,795
10/100Illinois $83,327United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 47% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+47 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
62.0% (2010 & 2021) → 83.0% (2022 & 2024)
+21 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
New homes permittedWorsening
0.1 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
High ozone daysImproving
1 days (2017) → 0 days (2022)
−100%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Flu vaccinationsWorsening
47.0% (2019) → 33.0% (2023)
−14 pts4 yearsUS 48.0% → 44.0%
Child care cost burdenWorsening
24.7% (2020 & 2021) → 38.3% (2023 & 2024)
+14 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%

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, Macomb, IL micropolitan area improved on 11 of 28 measures with a comparison and declined on 5. 9 moved within the margin of error and 3 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.

Improved11

Libraries+14%1.3 /10k → 1.5 /10k
Poverty−4.7 points21.9% → 17.2%
Traffic deaths−27%9.2 /100k → 6.7 /100k
Arts & recreation+15%3.7 /10k → 4.2 /10k
New businesses+50%5.2 /1k → 7.9 /1k

Declined5

Grocery stores−48%2.9 /10k → 1.5 /10k
Restaurants−34%15.1 /10k → 10.0 /10k
Uninsured+3.8 points5.1% → 9.0%
Gyms−65%1.1 /10k → 0.4 /10k
Firearm deaths+33%10.1 /100k → 13.4 /100k

All 28 measures

Change of every measure of Macomb, IL micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.7 /10k2020	4.2 /10k2025	+15%	Improved	66%
Average commute time	17.6 min2015-2019	18.6 min2020-2024	+1.0 min	Within the margin of error	30%
Average weekly wage	$8172020	$9622025	+18%	Improved	11%
Bachelor's degree or higher	32.2%2015-2019	31.4%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Within the margin of error	3%
Broadband subscriptions	75.2%2015-2019	84.0%2020-2024	+8.8 points	Improved	49%
Child poverty rate	16.1%2015-2019	13.5%2020-2024	−2.6 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Distance to an airport	112 mi2020	112 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	12.0 /100k2020	8.8 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−27%	Improved	53%
Effective property tax rate	1.91%2015-2019	1.82%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	39%
Firearm deaths	10.1 /100k2020	13.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+33%	Declined	17%
Grocery stores	2.9 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	−48%	Declined	0%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.1 /10k2020	0.4 /10k2025	−65%	Declined	2%
High school diploma or higher	93.6%2015-2019	94.2%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	16%
Home price to income ratio	2.1×2015-2019	2.0×2020-2024	−0.0×	Within the margin of error	95%
Income adjusted for local prices	$45,4542019	$58,7772024	+29%	Improved	31%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4692015-2019	0.4662020-2024	−0.002	Within the margin of error	62%
Median household income	$44,4712015-2019	$52,7952020-2024	+19%	Improved	10%
New business applications	5.2 /1k2020	7.9 /1k2025	+50%	Improved	57%
Pharmacies	1.5 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	+4.7%	Little change	83%
Poverty rate	21.9%2015-2019	17.2%2020-2024	−4.7 points	Improved	96%
Public libraries	1.3 /10k2019	1.5 /10k2024	+14%	Improved	94%
Rent as share of income	32.1%2015-2019	28.9%2020-2024	−3.2 points	Within the margin of error	94%
Rent-burdened households	52.1%2015-2019	48.2%2020-2024	−3.9 points	Within the margin of error	85%
Restaurants and bars	15.1 /10k2020	10.0 /10k2025	−34%	Declined	0%
Suicide rate	16.7 /100k2020	17.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+2.4%	Little change	55%
Traffic deaths	9.2 /100k2015-2019	6.7 /100k2020-2024	−27%	Improved	93%
Unemployment rate	6.8%2020	4.4%2025	−2.4 points	Improved	32%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	5.1%2015-2019	9.0%2020-2024	+3.8 points	Declined	2%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 879 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 Macomb, IL micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Macomb, 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, Macomb, IL micropolitan area itself moved −5.4 points in standing on average over the same 28 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

26,920 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

11,856 households (±321)

Macomb, IL micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k25%2,980
$25k–50k21%2,524
$50k–75k20%2,338

Homes

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

Owners and renters

11,856 households (±321)

Macomb, IL micropolitan area
United States share

Own63%7,523
Rent37%4,333

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−2.9 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

12,650 workers (±464)

Macomb, IL micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone77%9,711
Carpool9.5%1,205
Public transit0.5%†64

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 Macomb, 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.

Macomb, IL has 611 employer establishments, 228 for every 10,000 residents (0.92× the US rate of 248), with 8,590 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,062. The Census Bureau also counts 1,843 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 611; 1,843 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 228; US 248
Paid employees: 8,590
Average annual pay: $43,062; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	47	17.5	0.95×About typical	753	$18,575	10
Ambulatory health care services	36	13.4	0.64×Fewer than typical	260	$54,542	47
Religious organizations	31	11.6	2.08×More than typical	138	$16,768	—
Specialty trade contractors	24	9	0.58×Fewer than typical	165	$119,788	135
Lessors of real estate	22	8.2	0.67×Fewer than typical	71	$28,028	100
Truck transportation	22	8.2	1.62×More than typical	103	$40,272	40
Automotive repair and maintenance	21	7.8	1.56×More than typical	68	$34,897	30
Limited-service restaurants	21	7.8	0.98×About typical	399	$15,689	3
Banks and credit unions	20	7.5	2.31×More than typical	168	$54,899	6
Full-service restaurants	20	7.5	0.97×About typical	294	$23,755	7
Services to buildings and dwellings	16	6	0.89×About typical	47	$39,957	110
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	14	5.2	1.28×More than typical	78	$33,487	18

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 26,804 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 $0 on contracts performed in Macomb, IL micropolitan area: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0; −100% vs FY2025
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

62.1KFY2017
26.2KFY2018
28.8KFY2019
177.7KFY2020
1.6KFY2021
2.4KFY2022
2.1KFY2023
250.3KFY2025

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.

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 $160.4M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Macomb, IL micropolitan area: $6,188 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $160.4M; −6.6% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,188; US $12,955
Loan face value: $2.9M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 5.4%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$93M58%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$13.1M8.2%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$10.7M6.6%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$9.7M6.0%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$9.6M6.0%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$5.5M3.4%
10.990 · Farmer Bridge Assistance Program$4.8M3.0%
10.988 · Supplemental Disaster Relief Program$3.7M2.3%

Top recipients (organizations)

WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY$10.6M6.6%
MACOMB, IL
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF MCDONOUGH COUNTY$2.8M1.7%
MACOMB, IL
ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$1.4M0.8%
SPRINGFIELD, IL
MCDONOUGH DISTRICT HOSPITAL FOUNDATION, INC.$967.2K0.6%
MACOMB, IL
LAFAYETTE SQUARE, INC

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$118.6M74%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$15.2M9.5%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Education$10.4M6.5%
Farm Service Agency$8.5M5.3%
Department of Agriculture
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$2.7M

Assistance by fiscal year

184.6MFY2021
143.8MFY2022
163.6MFY2023
154.3MFY2024
171.7MFY2025
160.4MFY2026

County aggregates

84%

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 Macomb, 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.

McDonough CountyCentral county5325,916

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

MacombPrincipal city14,894

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/M31380

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved11

Declined5

Metro and micro areas like Macomb, 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

What was bought

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Macomb, 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

Improved11

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

What was bought

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type