Colchester is a city in McDonough County, Illinois, home to about 1,128 people across 1.1 square miles. Its ZIP code is 62326.
Homes sold for a median of $81 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Colchester. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Colchester’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL)117 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Southeast Iowa Regional Airport (BRL)31 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | St. Louis, MO126 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Chicago, IL189 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Colchester; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Colchester had 1,108 residents in the 2020 census, down 26% since 2000.
It’s the 671st largest of 1,450 towns in Illinois by population.
McDonough County grew from 28,412 residents in 1900 to 27,238 in 2020.
McDonough County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 85°F in summer, and winter lows average 15°F. About 38.9 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, La Harpe, IL weather station (15 miles away).
8,590 jobs at 611 businesses in McDonough County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
4 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Colchester.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 3 |
|---|---|
| Mental health providers | 1 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (3 nearby)
Libraries (1 nearby)
Counts are within about 1 mile of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Public schools here are run by West Prairie CUSD 103, West Central IL Spec Educ Coop. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Prairie South Elementary SchColchester | Pre-K–6 | 182 | Public | 0.6 mi |
| West Prairie Junior High SchoolColchester | 7–8 | 80 | Public | 0.5 mi |
| West Prairie Senior High SchoolColchester | 9–12 | 170 | Public | 0.5 mi |
| Wcisec MdColchester | — | — | Special Education | 0.6 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.