Thomson, IL · standard
ZIP Code 61285
Carroll County, Illinois - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 1,631
- 16/sq mi Moderate-density area
- $68,500
- Median income Near-median income area
- $173,100
- Median home value Near-median home value
- 10.4%
- Bachelor's or higher Below-average bachelor's attainment
National ZIP placement
Thomson pairs a below-median household income with below-median home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- 44th pct
- household income, US ZIPs
- 36th pct
- home value, US ZIPs
- 16
- people per sq mi
- 78%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 61285 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 61285 covers 102.6 square miles in Thomson, Carroll County, Illinois (a standard USPS delivery area), with a modest 1,631 residents on file, a density of 16 people per square mile, in the Chicago time zone.
ZIP 61285 reports a modest median household income of $68,500 (14% below the average Illinois ZIP), while per-capita income is $18,594. The poverty rate is 15.7%, with unemployment at 5.1%; those measures add context to the income figure. Median home value is $173,100 (10% below the average Illinois ZIP) and median rent is $903; 78.0% of occupied homes are owner-occupied.
Formal educational attainment runs low here: just 10.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 41.6, and the average commute is 26 minutes. The page also surfaces 4 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 more in Carroll County, so 61285 can be compared with both its immediate and county-level context.
Every figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (including median rent) and the FHFA House Price Index, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with Census →
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + FHFA HPI ACS demographics and median rent, ZBP business establishments, FHFA HPI for ZIP 61285, Thomson, IL · 2023 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.
Quick Facts
1,631
Population
102.6
Area (sq mi)
16
People / sq mi
Chicago
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 61285?
41.6
Median Age
76.8%
Male
23.2%
Female
7.8%
Foreign-Born
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity category from the Census Bureau and may overlap with other categories above.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
How much do residents earn?
$68,500
Median Household Income
-14% vs state ZIP avg
$18,594
Per Capita Income
15.7%
Poverty Rate
5.1%
Unemployment Rate
25.9 min
Mean Commute Time
How ZIP 61285 ranks among Illinois ZIPs
Thomson, IL household income vs. every Illinois ZIP code
Median household income among 1,334 reporting Illinois ZIPs (this ZIP's population is too small for a reliable national-corpus placement)
$68,500 39th percentile higher than 39% of 1,334 Illinois ZIPs
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more Illinois ZIPs. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2019–2023
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What is the education profile here?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What does housing look like?
Housing stock: occupied vs vacant
809housing units
809
Total Housing Units
586
Occupied Units
223
Vacant Units
2.23
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$173,100
Median Home Value
-10% vs state ZIP avg
$903
Median Rent
1974
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 20 business establishments in ZIP 61285, employing approximately 194 people with a combined annual payroll of $18,514,000.
20
Businesses
194
Employees
$18.5M
Annual Payroll
2
Industry Sectors
| Industry | Establishments | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 6 | 30.0% |
| Accommodation and food services | 5 | 25.0% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), 2023. Employment figures may include noise for disclosure avoidance.
Nearby ZIP Codes
Want a side-by-side? Compare 61285 vs 61252 →
ZIP 61285 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 61270
Morrison (61270)
7,306 residents
- 61252
Fulton (61252)
5,436 residents
- 61074
Savanna (61074)
4,431 residents
- 61053 2,852
Mount Carroll (61053)
2,852 residents
- 61285 1,631
Thomson (61285)
1,631 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 61285 ranks #5 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 61285 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 61270
Morrison (61270)
$80,867 median income
- 61285
Thomson (61285)
$68,500 median income
- 61053
Mount Carroll (61053)
$62,250 median income
- 61252
Fulton (61252)
$59,861 median income
- 61074
Savanna (61074)
$50,691 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 61285 ranks #2 of 5 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.
Nationwide ZIPs with similar ACS profiles
Two Census-derived peer sets for ZIP 61285, both outside IL so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment (Nearby and same-county blocks stay local).
Similar population
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by resident population (1,631 here; floor ≥1,000).
Similar median household income
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.
More ZIP Codes in Carroll County
Related Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
What county is ZIP code 61285 in?
ZIP code 61285 (Thomson) is located in Carroll County, Illinois. Carroll County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/carroll-il.
What is the population of ZIP code 61285?
ZIP code 61285 in Thomson, IL has a population of 1,631 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 61285?
The median household income in ZIP 61285 is $68,500, which is 10% below the national average of $76,288.
What is the average home value in ZIP 61285?
The median home value in ZIP 61285 is $173,100, which is 38% below the national average of $278,155.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 61285?
The largest racial group in ZIP 61285 is White at 67.9%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 14.1% of the population.
How many businesses are in ZIP code 61285?
ZIP code 61285 has 20 business establishments employing approximately 194 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.
What is the education level in ZIP code 61285?
In ZIP code 61285, 46.4% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 10.4% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. These figures come from the Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).
What is the average commute time in ZIP 61285?
The mean commute time for workers in ZIP code 61285 is 25.9 minutes according to Census ACS data. The national average is roughly 26 minutes, so commuters here spend less time traveling to work than typical.
What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 61285?
In ZIP code 61285, approximately 78.0% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 22.0% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 61285?
The poverty rate in ZIP code 61285 is 15.7% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.
Related
Take this with you
What to do with ZIP 61285's numbers, next.
- See how ZIP 61285 compares to a neighboring ZIP code on the same Census fields Compare this ZIP
- Check where Thomson, IL ranks among every U.S. ZIP code on income, education, or homeownership View national rankings
- Save this ZIP to your shortlist to track alongside others you're considering View your shortlist
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are Census Bureau approximations of USPS ZIP codes; figures describe the ZCTA area, not any single address within it.