Village · Illinois
Melvin, Illinois
Melvin, village, in Ford County, Illinois. Melvin had 412 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 1.4% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 416 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 430 (±104). GEOID 1748268.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
412
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 416 · ACS 2020-2024: 430 ±104
Median household income
$43,958
±$17,493 (90% margin)
Illinois: $83,390
Median home value
$66,300
±$5,230 (90% margin)
Illinois: $263,300
Median gross rent
$681
±$366 (90% margin)
Illinois: $1,274
Where is Melvin and what county is it in?
Melvin is a village in Ford County, Illinois. It covers 0.3 square miles of land, 1,202 residents per square mile in 2020.
Melvin is in the Champaign-Urbana, IL metropolitan statistical area, which takes in 3 counties (Census Bureau delineation, July 2023).
Melvin lies entirely within Peach Orchard Township, a township with its own local government (2020 census blocks).
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Melvin, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 412 people lived in Melvin on July 1, 2025, down 1.4% since 2020, a steeper fall than Illinois's (−0.8%). The 2020 Census counted 416 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 430 (±104).
| Measure | Melvin | Ford County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 430 ±104 | 13,406 | no clear change |
| Households | 179 ±41 | 5,828 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 2.40 ±0.42 | 2.23 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 209 ±43 | 6,263 | no clear change |
Melvin's population since 2000
From 465 in 2000 to 412 in 2025: down 11.4%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Melvin as it was drawn that year: a place that annexed land, or a community that has since incorporated, covered a different area then. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.
Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Melvin?
The median resident of Melvin is 30.7 years old; 27.0% are under 18 and 15.3% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 83.3%, then non-Hispanic residents of some other race at 6.3%.
| Measure | Melvin | Ford County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 30.7 ±7.4 | 41.9 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 27.0% ±7.0 pts | 23.3% | – |
| 65 years and over | 15.3% ±5.4 pts | 19.6% | – |
| Male | 51.9% ±6.4 pts | 49.6% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 4.0% ±4.3 pts | 5.3% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 83.3% ±9.9 pts | 89.4% | no clear change |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 0.5% ±0.8 pts | 0.3% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±8.3 pts | 0.4% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±8.3 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±8.3 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 6.0% ±4.7 pts | 4.0% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 6.3% ±9.5 pts | 0.5% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 4.2% ±5.4 pts | 2.6% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 7.1% ±8.9 pts | 4.2% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 7.6% ±4.4 pts | 7.9% | – |
| With a disability | 13.3% ±6.0 pts | 14.9% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 5.1% ±5.5 pts | 5.7% | – |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 87.3% ±6.2 pts | 91.6% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 13.0% ±5.6 pts | 18.9% | no clear change |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 5.1% ±2.7 pts | 6.2% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 76.2% ±10.9 pts | 92.6% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 0.0% ±8.4 pts | 0.8% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Melvin earn?
Half of Melvin's 179 households earn less than $43,958 a year (±$17,493), against $62,439 in Ford County and $83,390 in Illinois. In 2015-2019 it was $58,074 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 20.2% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Melvin | Ford County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $43,958 ±$17,493 | $62,439 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $60,889 ±$11,596 | $79,163 | – |
| Per capita income | $25,370 ±$4,630 | $34,075 | no clear change |
| People below the poverty line | 20.2% ±11.9 pts | 12.4% | no clear change |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 20.7% ±18.9 pts | 13.6% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 22.9% ±9.0 pts | 14.4% | – |
| Households with a computer | 95.5% ±4.5 pts | 92.7% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 91.1% ±5.1 pts | 86.9% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Melvin?
Owners occupy 81.6% of Melvin's occupied homes and renters 18.4%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $66,300 by its owner (±$5,230). The median renter pays $681 a month including utilities.
| Measure | Melvin | Ford County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $66,300 ±$5,230 | $122,000 | −$9,511 |
| Median gross rent | $681 ±$366 | $923 | no clear change |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 25.8% ±25.1 pts | 35.5% | – |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $1,005 ±$228 | $1,238 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 81.6% ±9.1 pts | 72.3% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 18.4% ±9.1 pts | 27.7% | – |
| Housing units | 209 ±43 | 6,263 | no clear change |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 2.7% ±5.3 pts | 0.6% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% ±55.5 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 92.3% ±6.9 pts | 84.4% | – |
| Mobile homes | 2.9% ±4.2 pts | 2.0% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 0.0% ±16.4 pts | 0.8% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 4.8% ±5.8 pts | 2.0% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 33.0% ±11.2 pts | 34.8% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 4.5% ±4.7 pts | 9.1% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How do people in Melvin work and get to work?
86.7% of Melvin's workers drive alone. The average trip to work takes 22.5 minutes.
| Measure | Melvin | Ford County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 65.5% ±9.4 pts | 61.9% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 6.7% ±4.6 pts | 5.5% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 86.7% ±8.1 pts | 79.5% | – |
| Carpooled | 8.7% ±6.7 pts | 8.4% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0% ±17.4 pts | 0.2% | – |
| Walked | 1.0% ±1.4 pts | 2.0% | – |
| Worked from home | 3.6% ±4.6 pts | 9.2% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 22.5 min ±4.5 | 24.6 min | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in Melvin?
No census tract lies mostly in Melvin; 1 tract reaches into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 9619Ford County | 1,647 | $78,750 |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Melvin) · Census block assignment files
How does Melvin compare with other places in Illinois?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Melvin is the 14,005th-most populous of the 19,476 U.S. incorporated places that have one and the 925th-most populous of 1,294 in Illinois.
Melvin is not ranked by income or the other survey measures: those rankings include places of 1,000 or more residents (2020 Census) with a reliable estimate.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 925th | 1,294 |
Melvin's figures with every place in Illinois (CSV)
Every place in Illinois, sortable · Compare Melvin with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Melvin?
24 of the 57 figures for Melvin on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Melvin are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' public schools in Melvin.