Most working residents leave Ball for work: only 1% work in town. The top destinations are Springfield (59%), Chatham (4%) and Chicago (2%). Half commute less than 9 miles.

1%work in town

Where working residents work

In Ball1%

Springfield59%

Chatham4%

Chicago2%

Bloomington2%

9 mi

median commute distance

474

jobs based in Ball

A commuter town

jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2023 · ACSCommute map →

Schools

Ball’s public schools outperform 68% of Illinois districts

The public schools Ball’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 68% of Illinois’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.

B+School Grade

School	Grades	Students	Grade
Glenwood Elementary School	K–4	573	B+
Ball Elementary School	PK–4	552	B+
Glenwood Middle School	7–8	735	B
Glenwood Intermediate Sch	5–6	672	B+
Glenwood High School	9–12	1,484	A−

NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduationAll 5 schools →

Health

Healthier than 75% of U.S. towns

Ball beats the Illinois average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.

B+Health Grade

32 measures vs. Illinois

7 better24 too close to call1 worse

What stands out	Ball	IL
Fewer uninsured adults	5.9%	9.9%
Fewer adults facing food insecurity	10.1%	15.9%
More adults who have had cancer	9.3%	7.6%

St. Johns Hospital

10.2 mi away · emergency room

2 of 3

care shortages: primary care, mental health

73rd

percentile among IL towns

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSAFull health report →

Climate

Four seasons, pleasant summers

Ball has chilly winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 14 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

14″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter23–39°

Spring43–64°

Summer64–85°

Fall44–66°

Oct 20

typical first frost

Apr 14

typical last frost

+0.9°

vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020Full climate →

Natural hazards

Moderate risk, with inland flooding at the top

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 53% of U.S. communities.

53risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves

paid flood claims since 1979

federal disasters paid out here

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMANatural hazards →

Outdoors

0.2% of Ball is conserved land

0.4 miles of trails across 6 parks and preserves.

0.2%conserved

Map of Ball: conserved land, trails and the top places to walk — Green: conserved land · dashed: trails · numbers: the places below

0.2%

conserved · 46 of 18,994 acres

0.4 mi

of trails · 0 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Chatham Community Park	—	34
2. Spartan Sports Park	—	24
3. Covered Bridge Park	—	9

A commuter town

99% of working residents leave Ball for work

Where Ball’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

474jobs based in Ball

1%of working residents work in town

9 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

2023 · Marine Point toward Crows Mill · Wikimedia Commons

Ball’s story

Ball in pictures

2 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives, and 1 places on the National Register.

2023Marine Point toward Crows Mill
2026Ball township building 2026-05-24

Explore the history →

About Ball

Township in Illinois, United States

Official town website ↗

Ball Township is located in Sangamon County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 6,701 and it contained 2,403 housing units. The township's offices are located in Glenarm. Portions of the village of Chatham are located in this township. Portions of Lake Springfield are also located in the township, including the former site of the flooded town of Cotton Hill.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)