Charleston, IL

Census Place

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2024 Population
17,062
US Senator
Dick Durbin
Democratic Party
US Senator
Tammy Duckworth
Democratic Party
2024 Median Age
29.6
2.78% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
26.3%
4.21% 1-year increase
2024 Median Household Income
$49,300
0.495% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$137,400
2.77% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
8,978
4.42% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Charleston, IL reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

98.5% of the residents in Charleston, IL are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Charleston, IL are Eastern Illinois University (2,459 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Charleston, IL was $137,400, and the homeownership rate was 48%.

Most people in Charleston, IL drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 15.2 minutes. The average car ownership in Charleston, IL was 2 cars per household.

United StatesIllinoisColes County, ILCharleston-Mattoon, ILColes, Douglas, Crawford, Edgar, Clark & Cumberland Counties PUMA, IL

Population & Diversity

Charleston, IL is home to a population of 17.1k people, from which 98.5% are citizens. As of 2024, 3.99% of Charleston, IL residents were born outside of the country (681 people).

In 2024, there were 12.1 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (14.1k people) in Charleston, IL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.17k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 501 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.5%
2024 Citizenship
97.8%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.5% of Charleston, IL residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Charleston, IL was 97.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Charleston, IL compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Charleston, IL
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    14.1k ± 734
  2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    1.17k ± 212
  3. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
    501 ± 145
4.45%
Hispanic Population
760 people

In 2024, there were 12.1 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (14.1k people) in Charleston, IL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.17k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 501 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

4.45% of the people in Charleston, IL are hispanic (760 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Charleston, IL as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Illinois.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    633,244 ± 19,044 people
  2. India
    161,770 ± 9,812 people
  3. Poland
    119,556 ± 8,449 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Illinois was Mexico, the natal country of 633,244 Illinois residents, followed by India with 161,770 and Poland with 119,556.

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Foreign-Born Population

3.99%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
681 people
4.1%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
706 people

As of 2024, 3.99% of Charleston, IL residents (681 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Charleston, IL was 4.1%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Charleston, IL compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Gulf War (2001-)
    192 ± 74
  2. Vietnam
    180 ± 92
  3. Korea
    24 ± 37

Charleston, IL has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.07 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Charleston, IL.

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Economy

The economy of Charleston, IL employs 8.98k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Charleston, IL were Educational Services (1,726 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,487 people), and Retail Trade (1,325 people), and the highest paying industries were Information ($85,189), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($83,529), and Transportation & Warehousing ($82,647).

Employment

Occupations

8.98k
2024 Value
± 819
−4.42%
1 Year decline
± 13.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Charleston, IL declined at a rate of −4.42%, from 9.39k employees to 8.98k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Charleston, IL, are Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (943 people), Sales & Related Occupations (878 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (825 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Charleston, IL.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Illinois.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Illinois (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

8.98k
2024 Value
± 819
−4.42%
1 Year decline
± 13.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Charleston, IL declined at a rate of −4.42%, from 9.39k employees to 8.98k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Charleston, IL, are Educational Services (1,726 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,487 people), and Retail Trade (1,325 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Charleston, IL, though some of these residents may live in Charleston, IL and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$33,165
Median earning men ± $5,410
$21,473
Median earning women ± $4,418

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($85,871), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($84,730), and Wholesale Trade ($83,750).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($56,127), Manufacturing ($37,844), and Information ($37,222).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Illinois.
Y-Axis
2.47%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 6.03M people employed in Illinois. This represents a 2.47% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 13%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Illinois.

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Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Illinois went to Kamala Harris with 54.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (43.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.43%).

Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth are the senators currently representing the state of Illinois. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Illinois is currently represented by 17 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for Charleston, IL. Showing the available data for Illinois.
2024 Election Results
  1. Kamala Harris (54.4%)
    Democratic Party
  2. Donald J. Trump (43.5%)
    Republican Party
  3. Robert Kennedy (1.43%)
    Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Illinois went to Kamala Harris with 54.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (43.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.43%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Illinois for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Illinois

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Illinois.
Dick Durbin
Senator from Illinois2
Assumed office on January 3, 1997
Tammy Duckworth
Senator from Illinois3
Assumed office on January 3, 2017

Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth are the senators currently representing Illinois.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Illinois over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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Education

In 2023, universities in Charleston, IL awarded 2,459 degrees. The student population of Charleston, IL in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 3,824 male students and 4,980 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Charleston, IL are White (1,181 and 69.6%), Black or African American (193 and 11.4%), Hispanic or Latino (131 and 7.72%), and Unknown (111 and 6.54%).

The largest universities in Charleston, IL by number of degrees awarded are Eastern Illinois University (2,459 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Charleston, IL are Industrial Technology (354 and 14.4%), Other Engineering Technologies & Engineering-Related Fields (347 and 14.1%), and General Psychology (105 and 4.27%).

The median tuition cost in Charleston, IL for a public four year colleges is $9,624 for in-state students and $12,066 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University
Measure

In 2023 in Charleston, IL, the percentage of applicants admitted was 67.8%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 10.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 8,804 (43.4% men and 56.6% women).

The line chart  shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

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Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 8,804 students enrolled in Charleston, IL, 43.4% men and 56.6% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 4,782 records, of which 61.6% were women and 38.4% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. Liberal Arts & Sciences
    87 degrees awarded
  2. Elementary Education & Teaching
    59 degrees awarded
  3. General Psychology
    105 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Charleston, IL was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 87 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Charleston, IL according to their major.

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Universities

Gender
Race
Eastern Illinois University
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
2,459 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Eastern Illinois University with 2,459 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 1,112 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Charleston, IL, which is 0.826 times less than the 1,347 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,181 degrees mean that there were 6.12 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 193 degrees awarded.

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Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

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Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($9,624) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($3,500) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($150) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Charleston, IL was $137,400 in 2024, which is 0.413 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $133,700 to $137,400, a 2.77% increase. The homeownership rate in Charleston, IL is 48%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Charleston, IL have an average commute time of 15.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Charleston, IL is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$137,400
Median Property Value 2024
±$8,374
$3,574
Median Property Taxes
±$458

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Charleston, IL the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Charleston, IL compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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Rent vs Own

48%
Homeownership
2024
63.6%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 48% of the housing units in Charleston, IL were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 46.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Charleston, IL compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$49,300
Median Household Income
± $5,782
7.45k
Number of Households
± 691

In 2024, the median household income of the 7.45k households in Charleston, IL grew to $49,300 from the previous year's value of $49,057.

The following chart displays the households in Charleston, IL distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the < $10k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Charleston, IL is from Illinois.
0.474
2023 Wage GINI in Illinois
0.477
2022 Wage GINI in Illinois

In 2023, the income inequality in Illinois was 0.474 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.554% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Illinois was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Illinois in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Illinois across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (70.4%)
  2. Walked (9.97%)
  3. Worked At Home (8.87%)

In 2024, 70.4% of workers in Charleston, IL drove alone to work, followed by those who walked to work (9.97%) and those who worked at home (8.87%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

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Commute Time

15.2 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Charleston, IL have a shorter commute time (15.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.01% of the workforce in Charleston, IL have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Charleston, IL compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Charleston, IL distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Charleston, IL have 2 cars.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

26.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Charleston, IL (3.68k out of 14k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 18 - 24, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Males 45 - 54.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Charleston, IL is White, followed by Black and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

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Health

94.7% of the population of Charleston, IL has health coverage, with 44.4% on employee plans, 23.3% on Medicaid, 11.5% on Medicare, 14.4% on non-group plans, and 1.07% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Illinois see 1,264 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,264 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1189 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 297 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.7% were men and 52.3% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 16.4% under 18 years, 40.7% between 18 and 34 years, 28.6% between 35 and 64 years, and 14.3% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.7% were men and 52.3% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

5.32%
Uninsured
44.4%
Employer Coverage
23.3%
Medicaid
11.5%
Medicare
14.4%
Non-Group
1.07%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Charleston, IL grew by 6.68% from 4.99% to 5.32%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Charleston, IL changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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