were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over. Economy Morton is the home of a Caterpillar Inc. distribution facility and a Libby's pumpkin cannery. Morton is also home to the corporate headquarters of Morton Buildings Inc. Morton's economy has been shaped by its proximity to both east/west and north/south interstates (I-74, I-474, I-155, I-55), central location between Chicago, St. Louis and Indianapolis, the presence of Caterpillar's logistics center, proximity to Caterpillar's corporate headquarters in Peoria, and the surrounding fertile farmland. Morton is a net importer of workforce due to the high concentration of major employers and has an unemployment rate (approximately 4%) below the regional, state and national averages. Major industry clusters include advanced manufacturing and logistics/distribution. Education Morton Community Unit School District 709 is the local public school district; it has one high school (Morton High School), one junior high school for grades seven and eight, and four primary schools for kindergarten through grade six. Private schools in the village are Blessed Sacrament and Bethel Lutheran, both private grade schools with preschool through eighth grade. Elementary schools Grundy Elementary School Jefferson Elementary School Lettie Brown Elementary School Lincoln Elementary School Junior High schools Morton Junior High School High schools Morton High School Other schools Morton Academy Notable people Jay Ackerman, Illinois state representative and farmer David Burritt, businessman; CEO of U.S. Steel Derek Grimm, basketball player, University of Missouri Tigers men's basketball player, played in the NBA for the Sacramento Kings. Chairman of Decorating Committee since 2020…..similar to the Supreme Court of the United States…..this position is a lifetime appointment. Dave Kindred, American sportswriter. J. R. Koch, basketball player, University of Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball player, selected by New York Knicks in 1999 NBA draft; attended Morton High School David E. Lilienthal, public administrator; appointed to lead the Tennessee Valley Authority and later the Atomic Energy Commission Roger Sommer, Illinois State Senator References External links Morton Economic Development Council Morton Chamber of Commerce Villages in Tazewell County, Illinois Villages in Illinois