Most working residents leave Hamel for work: only 4% work in town. The top destinations are Edwardsville (13%), St. Louis (8%) and Granite City (4%). Half commute less than 19 miles.

4%work in town

Where working residents work

In Hamel4%

Edwardsville13%

St. Louis8%

Granite City4%

Alton3%

19 mi

median commute distance

416

jobs based in Hamel

A commuter town

jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2023 · ACSCommute map →

Schools

Hamel’s public schools outperform 75% of Illinois districts

The public schools Hamel’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 75% of Illinois’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the top.

A−School Grade

School	Grades	Students	Grade
Hamel Elementary School	PK–2	126	Not graded

NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduationAll 1 schools →

Health

Healthier than 79% of U.S. towns

Hamel beats the Illinois average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0.

A−Health Grade

32 measures vs. Illinois

12 better20 too close to call0 worse

What stands out	Hamel	IL
Fewer uninsured adults	6.1%	9.9%
Fewer adults facing food insecurity	11.5%	15.9%

Community Hospital of Staunton

10.3 mi away · emergency room

1 of 3

care shortages: mental health

77th

percentile among IL towns

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

Climate

Four seasons, pleasant summers

Hamel has chilly winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 11 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

11″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter25–42°

Spring45–66°

Summer66–86°

Fall46–67°

Nov 5

typical first frost

Apr 4

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 56% of U.S. communities.

56risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingEarthquakesTornadoes

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMANatural hazards →

Housing

A typical Hamel home is worth about $285K

The typical Hamel home is worth about $285,000, up 3.5% in a year, close to the Illinois typical home.

$285KZillow home value

Typical home value

Hamel$285K

Illinois$298K

+3.5%

value change, 1 year

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Outdoors

0.4% of Hamel is conserved land

4.3 miles of trails across 1 parks and preserves.

0.4%conserved

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

0.4%

conserved · 102 of 23,348 acres

4.3 mi

of trails · 0.1 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Hamel Community Park	—	8

2009 · Entrance sign to Hamel, Illinois, Route 66 · Wikimedia Commons

Hamel’s story

Hamel in pictures

4 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives.

2009Entrance sign to Hamel, Illinois, Route 66
2026Hamel, IL

Explore the history →

About Hamel

Village in Illinois, United States

Official town website ↗

Hamel is a village in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 929 at the 2020 census, up from 816 in 2010. It is a part of the Illinois Metro East portion of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area. The village is located along Interstate 55 (I-55), and Illinois Routes 140 and 157.

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