Monticello is a city in Piatt County, Illinois, home to about 6,304 people across 3.9 square miles. Its ZIP code is 61856.
Homes sold for a median of $155 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 Monticello. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Monticello’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)130 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | University of Illinois Willard Airport (CMI)15 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | St. Louis, MO131 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Chicago, IL133 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Monticello; 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.
Monticello had 5,941 residents in the 2020 census, up 16% since 2000.
It’s the 299th largest of 1,450 towns in Illinois by population.
Piatt County grew from 17,706 residents in 1900 to 16,673 in 2020.
Piatt County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 84°F in summer, and winter lows average 17°F. About 39.7 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Champaign 9 Sw, IL weather station (11 miles away).
2,535 jobs at 339 businesses in Piatt County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
75 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Monticello.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 13 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 2 |
| Dentists | 5 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 24 |
| Mental health providers | 20 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 8 |
| Optometrists | 1 |
| Chiropractors | 2 |
| Pharmacies | 7 |
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)
Grocery stores (1 nearby)
Pharmacies (3 nearby)
Libraries (1 nearby)
Museums
Theaters and performance venues (1 nearby)
Counts are within about 1.5 miles 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.
Established in 1829.
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by Monticello CUSD 25. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington SchoolMonticello | Pre-K–3 | 543 | Public | 0.5 mi |
| Monticello Middle SchoolMonticello | 6–8 | 405 | Public | 0.7 mi |
| Monticello High SchoolMonticello | 9–12 | 489 | Public | 0.5 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faith Christian SchoolMonticello | Pre-K–K | 12 | Christian (no specific denomination) | 2.0 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private 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.