Census place 1712567

Charleston

A Census profile of the people, homes, and daily patterns that shape this place.

Official Census name: Charleston city

Relocation snapshot

What stands out in Charleston.

According to the 2025 estimate, Charleston has a population of 17,466 and 1,924 residents per square mile. Of the six relocation measures evaluated, the three largest relative differences from the median among 225 covered Illinois places are: median home value is $137,400, below the comparison median of $274,000; median household income is $49,300, below the comparison median of $90,282; and typical commute is 15.2 minutes, below the comparison median of 27.8 minutes. These unweighted medians compare covered Census places and are not statewide estimates.

median home value
$137,400
Below the comparison median of $274,000
median household income
$49,300
Below the comparison median of $90,282
typical commute
15.2 minutes
Below the comparison median of 27.8 minutes

National context

Follow the metrics.

Compare Charleston's values with other covered Census places. Rankings are descriptive, not recommendations.

At a glance

A city in numbers.

Population
17,466
2025 estimate
Annual change
0%
Population estimate
Density
1,924/sq mi
9.1 sq mi land area
Median age
29.6 years
ACS 5-year estimate

Living here

The everyday equation.

Households, homes, education, and the time it takes to get around.

Median household income
$49,300
Median home value
$137,400
Median gross rent
$817
Bachelor’s degree or higher
33.3%
Typical commute
15.2 min
Drive-alone commute
70.4%
Public transit commute
0.2%
Walked to work
10%

Housing

Who rents, and what it takes.

Renter share and rent burden help describe the housing choices visible in this place.

Renter-occupied homes
52%
Renters paying 30%+ of income
49.8%

Work

How the workday lands.

Employment status and working-from-home share add context to income and commuting patterns.

Employed residents 16+
58.9%
Unemployed residents 16+
3.8%
Working from home
8.9%

Community

The everyday infrastructure.

Access, mobility, housing growth, and household composition add another layer to a place's day-to-day picture.

Households with broadband
84.3%
Homes built 2020+
0.3%
Households without a vehicle
8.6%
Households with children
17.5%
Residents with a disability
19%
Residents without insurance
5.3%

Environmental context

A record of declared events.

FEMA declarations for Coles County provide historical context, not a forecast or a property-level risk assessment.

Environmental declarations since 2000
6
Severe Storm declarations
2
Tornado declarations
2
Hurricane declarations
1

Climate normals

The long view of weather.

Thirty-year averages, not a forecast. Temperature and precipitation describe the typical conditions recorded from 1991 through 2020.

Representative station: MATTOON CHARLESTON COLES CO AP (4 mi from place center)
Average high
62.8°F
Average low
44°F
Annual rainfall
36"
Annual snowfall
0"

Month by month

A year in Charleston.

Typical high and low °F
20°F40°F60°F80°F100°F
JFMAMJJASOND
Typical precipitation inches

Data vintage

Population is from the 2025 Population Estimates Program. Household, housing, education, and commute data are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-year release. Disaster declarations are from FEMA's OpenFEMA dataset and are refreshed with this edition.

Similar places

More places to consider.

Selected by the closest mix of population, density, median home value, and average annual high.

Frankfort, IN

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population
16,837
Median home
$138,600

Steubenville, OH

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population
17,922
Median home
$130,700

Jacksonville, IL

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population
17,752
Median home
$128,200

Keep exploring

Compare Charleston with Frankfort