Living in Bowen, IL
Bowen is a tiny town of 552 people in Hancock County, Illinois. It's about 81 miles from Springfield, IL and 119 miles from St. Louis, MO, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 86°F and winter highs 34°F, with about 23 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $81k and rent runs about $579 a month.
552people
$81kTypical home
$579/moRent
86° / 34°Summer / winter
23"Snow
232Sunny days
104Rain/snow days
Is Bowen right for you?
Take the 5-minute quiz and see your match — and how it stacks up against 34,000 other places.
Size & setting
- Tiny town of 552
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 1,290 people per sq mi
- 119 mi to St. Louis, MO
- 81 mi to Springfield, IL
- 26 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $81k (≈$509/mo)
- Median rent $579/mo
- Median household income $64k
- Property tax about 1.9% of value
- 3.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 86°F
- Winter highs around 34°F
- Muggy summers (dew point 65°F)
- 232 sunny days a year (91 totally clear)
- 133 cloudy days a year
- 43 of 90 winter days are gray
- 104 days a year with rain or snow
- 23" of snow a year
- 9 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 22 nights a year below 10°F
- Breezy
Safety
- Very low violent crime (17 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (35 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 36
- 33% of households have kids
- 20% are 65 or older
- 20% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 26 min
- 3% walk or take transit to work
- 21 mi to UIN airport
- 109 mi to STL (major hub)
- 26 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 81% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1955
- 84% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 692 ft
- 678 mi to the ocean
- 211 mi to a big lake
- 28 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 60 mi to the nearest ski area
- 15 mi to the nearest campground
- 14 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 18 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 5 bars within 25 mi
- 3 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 6 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 31 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 42% of Illinois districts (reading)
- 21 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 12 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 27 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 21 mi to the nearest vet
- 40 mi to the nearest dog park
- 18 congregations per 10k people
- 24 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Hancock County: R+50 in 2024
- Illinois: D+11 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Low earthquake risk
- Moderate flood risk
- Very low drought risk
- Moderate winter storm risk
- Moderate heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk