Sidney, Illinois

Village in Champaign County · population 1,208 (2020 Census)

Median home: $197,600
Household income: $88,618
Jan low / Jul high: 18° / 84°
Snow a year: 21 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 37
Median age: 39.6

Sidney is a village of 1,208 people in Champaign County, Illinois. The median home is worth $197,600, above the typical Illinois town ($156,600). It ranks better for families than 92% of Illinois towns, easier by car than 91% of Illinois towns, quieter than 76% of Illinois towns.

How Sidney ranks

Percentile among Illinois towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Illinois towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Sidney is worth $197,600, above the typical Illinois town ($156,600). Homes cost about 2.2 times the median household income of $88,618, which is more affordable than 50% of Illinois towns. Median rent is $1,094 a month. 82.7% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Illinois towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Sidney	Typical Illinois town
Median home value	$197,600	$156,600
Median rent	$1,094	$960
Median household income	$88,618	$72,500
Home value ÷ income	2.2×	2.2×
Homeownership	82.7%	76.6%
Median year built	1964	1967
Seasonal / vacation homes	2.2%	—

Who lives in Sidney

People	Sidney	Typical Illinois town
Median age	39.6	40.4
Age 65 and over	17.6%	18.7%
Under 18	21.3%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	24.5%	21.8%
Below the poverty line	4.3%	9.9%
Veterans	7.3%	—
Born outside the U.S.	0.5%	—
Work from home	6.5%	8.9%
Average commute	26.3 min	26.1 min
Homes with broadband	95.2%	90.4%

Weather in Sidney

July highs average 83.6°F and January lows 18.2°F. About 41.2 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 20.6 inches of snow (typical Illinois town: 24.2 in). Expect about 14 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 118 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Ogden station (8.4 mi away); snow from Philo (4.5 mi).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

37 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Sidney since 1950, compared with 27 for the typical Illinois town. 14 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F4, struck on March 20, 1976 about 2.8 miles from the town center. Tornadoes within 10 miles have caused 2 deaths and 46 injuries since 1950. The most recent was on June 11, 2026.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 39 times; the largest was 4.25 inches on May 30, 2008.

Severe weather in Champaign County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Champaign County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 11 deaths recorded.

Champaign County has been included in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for tornado, hurricane, snowstorm.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
March 26, 2020	Biological	DR-4489: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3435: Covid-19
November 26, 2013	Tornado	DR-4157: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes
September 7, 2005	Hurricane	EM-3230: Hurricane Katrina Evacuation
May 21, 2002	Tornado	DR-1416: Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding

Jobs and pay in Champaign County

Champaign County had 94,777 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $64,216 a year. Unemployment was 4.1% in 2023; in Sidney itself the ACS puts it at 4.6%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near Sidney

Philo, IL
4.7 mi · 1,392 people · home $205,400
Homer, IL
6.1 mi · 1,073 people · home $146,200
St. Joseph, IL
6.5 mi · 3,810 people · home $270,900
Ogden, IL
8.7 mi · 729 people · home $157,400
Urbana, IL
8.8 mi · 38,336 people · home $184,900
Savoy, IL
9.9 mi · 8,857 people · home $320,300
Tolono, IL
10.3 mi · 3,604 people · home $208,600
Villa Grove, IL
12.0 mi · 2,472 people · home $125,700

Sidney questions

Is Sidney, Illinois a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Sidney scores better for retirees than 68% of Illinois towns and quieter than 76%. 17.6% of residents are 65 or older (median age 39.6).

How much does a house cost in Sidney?

The median owner-occupied home in Sidney is valued at $197,600 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $88,618, so homes cost about 2.2 times income. Median rent is $1,094 a month.

What is the weather like in Sidney?

July highs average 83.6°F and January lows 18.2°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 41.2 inches of precipitation a year and 20.6 inches of snow.

Does Sidney get tornadoes?

37 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Sidney since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F4 on March 20, 1976. The typical Illinois town has had 27.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Sidney's Census boundary (GEOID 1769875). Comparisons use the median of Illinois towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.