City safety & data profile

CharlestonIL

Charleston, IL is a 21K-resident city in Coles County with a median household income of $49,300.

Coles County, Illinois. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Charleston, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Charleston has a population larger than 47% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, and a median home value of $137,400.

Data updated 2026-07-20

21K
Population
Top 53%
By size
$49,300
Median income
$137,400
Median home
26.3%
Poverty rate

The read on Charleston

Charleston posts a median household income higher than 8% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks.

Top 92%
by median income, US cities

Where Charleston income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$49,300 Bottom 8% higher than 8% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). This entry sits in this band. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). Above this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. IL $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Charleston, IL beyond the headline numbers

Charleston sits inside Coles County, Illinois, at roughly 39.50°N, -88.18°W. Population 21,196, $49,300 median household income. Median home value $137,400, median rent $817. Poverty rate 26.3%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Charleston's highest-prevalence health measure is short sleep duration at 37.8%, then obesity at 37.5%.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Charleston from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
21,196
Charleston
Median Income
$49,300
-27% vs avg
Median Home Value
$137,400
-40% vs avg
Median Age
29.6
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Coles County) - Charleston's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
47K-13%
Median Income
$56,478+52%
Median Home Value
$127,400+41%
Poverty Rate
18.7%-15%
Unemployment
6.1%-51%

Economics

Economics indicators for Charleston, IL
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$817/mo
Poverty Rate
26.3% +85% vs avg
Unemployment 6.1%
Bachelor's Degree+ 33.3%
Work From Home 8.9%
Public Transit 0.2%

Population

White 85.4%
African American 6.9%
Asian 2%
Two or More Ethnicities 1.2%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Short Sleep Duration
37.8%
Obesity
37.5%
High Blood Pressure
30.3%
Physical Inactivity
24.3%
Frequent Mental Distress
20.4%
Binge Drinking
18.7%
Current Smoking
14.2%
Frequent Physical Distress
13.1%
Current Asthma
11.2%
Diabetes
9.8%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 57.5%
Annual Checkup 75.6%

Other Measures

Lack of Health Insurance
9.2%
Coronary Heart Disease
5.7%
Stroke
3.1%

Frequently Asked Questions 5

What is the population of Charleston, IL? ▼
Charleston, IL has a population of 21,196 people, located in Coles County, Illinois.
What is the median household income in Charleston? ▼
The median household income in Charleston, IL is $49,300 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 26.3%.
What is the median home value in Charleston? ▼
The median home value in Charleston, IL is $137,400. Median rent is $817/month.
What are the top health concerns in Charleston? ▼
The top health indicators in Charleston include Short Sleep Duration (37.8%), Obesity (37.5%), High Blood Pressure (30.3%). Data from CDC PLACES.
What is the median age in Charleston? ▼
The median age in Charleston, IL is 29.6 years. 33.3% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Charleston, IL is located in Coles County, Illinois. With a population of 21K and a $49,300 median household income, the community faces health challenges including short sleep duration and obesity. Safety alerts for the Charleston area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - Illinois

Real-time AQI for every monitored Illinois location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Mattoon, IL 18K Effingham, IL 13K Urbana, IL 42K Champaign, IL 86K Terre Haute, IN 61K Rantoul, IL 13K Danville, IL 32K Decatur, IL 73K
All cities in Illinois → Compare Charleston vs Mattoon → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Charleston's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Charleston area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Charleston against Illinois peers on any ranking lens. Explore Illinois

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Coles County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.