Charleston, IL

Census Place

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

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.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Charleston, IL

White (Non-Hispanic)
14.1k ± 734
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
1.17k ± 212
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
501 ± 145

4.45%

Hispanic Population

760 people

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.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Illinois.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
637,284 ± 19,101 people
India
166,788 ± 9,961 people
Poland
117,148 ± 8,364 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Illinois was Mexico, the natal country of 637,284 Illinois residents, followed by India with 166,788 and Poland with 117,148.

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.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
192 ± 74
Vietnam
180 ± 92
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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

Education

The student population of Charleston, IL in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 3,624 male students and 4,881 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Charleston, IL are White (1,075 and 65.2%), Black or African American (237 and 14.4%), Hispanic or Latino (129 and 7.82%), and Unknown (103 and 6.24%).

The largest universities in Charleston, IL by number of degrees awarded are Eastern Illinois University (2,411 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Charleston, IL are Industrial Technology (342 and 14.2%), Other Engineering Technologies & Engineering-Related Fields (338 and 14%), and General Psychology (96 and 3.98%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $9,848 for in-state students and $12,330 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Charleston, IL, the percentage of applicants admitted was 65.3%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 9.81%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 8,505 (42.6% men and 57.4% 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.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 8,505 students enrolled in Charleston, IL, 42.6% men and 57.4% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 5,151 records, of which 61.1% were women and 38.9% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Psychology
96 degrees awarded
Liberal Arts & Sciences
88 degrees awarded
Kinesiology & Exercise Science
63 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Charleston, IL was General Psychology with 96 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Eastern Illinois University

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

2,411 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Eastern Illinois University with 2,411 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 1,102 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Charleston, IL, which is 0.842 times less than the 1,309 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,075 degrees mean that there were 4.54 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 237 degrees awarded.

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.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($9,848) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($3,529) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Charleston, IL is from Illinois.

0.471

2024 Wage GINI in Illinois

0.474

2023 Wage GINI in Illinois

In 2024, the income inequality in Illinois was 0.471 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.55% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Illinois was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (70.4%)
Walked (9.97%)
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.

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.

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.

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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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