Best PlacesGalesburg, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Galesburg, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Galesburg ranks 1,922nd of 2,098 U.S. cities on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and low incomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Galesburg
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Galesburg's strengths and weaknesses
Where Galesburg ranks high
- Short commute16.6 minutes each way, better than 97% of cities
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 96% of cities
- Cell coverageBetter than 90% of cities
- Internet speedBetter than 88% of cities
- State infrastructureBetter than 78% of cities
Where Galesburg ranks low
- Household income$53,558 median, better than only 2% of cities
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 5% of cities
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 6% of cities
- Health outlookBetter than only 6% of cities
- School gradeD, better than only 6% of cities
What it costs to buy a home in Galesburg
A household needs to earn about $37,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Galesburg home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $53,558, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Galesburg's effective rate of 1.90%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Galesburg
Galesburg runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Galesburg.
Who works in Galesburg, and how
Work in Galesburg centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 10%
Life in Galesburg
Galesburg has more restaurants and bars per resident than 78% of cities and more parkland per resident than 92% of cities. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Galesburg and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Galesburg, month by month
Galesburg sees roughly 70 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 32, with lows near 17. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 24° | 17° |
| April | 63° | 50° | 40° |
| July | 85° | 74° | 65° |
| October | 65° | 53° | 44° |
Flying in and out of Galesburg
The nearest airport, Quad Cities International, is about 35 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Chicago O'Hare International, about 146 miles away.
The best schools in and around Galesburg
Schools across Galesburg average a D, better than 6% of cities.
Top elementary schools
- R O W V A Elem SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Mable Woolsey Elem SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- Steele SchoolD+ · 23% proficient
Top middle schools
- United Jr High SchD− · 17% proficient
- Lombard Middle SchoolF · 11% proficient
- Knoxville Jr High SchoolF · 10% proficient
Top high schools
- Knoxville Sr High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- R O W V A Jr And Sr High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Galesburg Senior High SchoolD · 22% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Galesburg school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Galesburg measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Galesburg against the other 2,097 cities.
Who Galesburg suits
Families
Schools land around the 6th percentile and crime safety beats 70%.
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 7% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in Galesburg
Is Galesburg a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Galesburg ranks 1,922nd of 2,098 cities. It scores highest on short commutes, a stable housing market, and cell coverage, and lowest on low incomes and taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Galesburg expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $122,070. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $53,558 median income, cost of living beats 6% of cities.
Is Galesburg safe?
Yes, Galesburg is safer than 70% of cities. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $204 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Galesburg?
July highs average about 85 degrees, and January highs near 32 with lows near 17. That works out to about 70 pleasant days a year, more than 27% of cities.
Is Galesburg good for families?
Schools beat 6% of cities, crime safety beats 70%, and childcare runs $1,319 a month.
Compare Galesburg with other cities
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Galesburg. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Galesburg represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Galesburg detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Galesburg: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Galesburg: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Galesburg: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Galesburg: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Galesburg detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.