Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Belleville gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $159K for a typical one, or 2 years of the St. Louis metro’s $80K median household income. It grades C overall, 595th among Illinois's 767 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 76% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top, and its crime rate is higher than 80% of U.S. towns, with 193 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 90% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 6 places on the National Register. Belleville’s violent crime rate is 4.8 per 1,000 residents, above both Illinois’ towns (1) and U.S. towns (1.6). On history, just 48 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do better. Belleville is home to Southwestern Illinois College.
Where Belleville beats most towns.
Belleville Historic District
Sandra Magnus
Its founding year, 1814, comes before those of 99% of the Illinois towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 2,941 in 1850, 42,404 in 2020. The archive holds 30 old photos and papers going back to 1867 and 7 maps from 1907 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Belleville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Belleville. Close and well known come first.
Big draw10 mi State parkCahokia
Big draw13 mi Stadium & arenaThe Dome at America's Center
13 mi Stadium & arenaBusch Stadium
12 mi National ParkGateway Arch National Park2.2M visitors a year
11 mi LandmarkMonks Mound
14 mi Stadium & arenaEnterprise CenterCahokia: Thank You (24 Millions ) views, CC BY 2.0 · The Dome at America's Center: Paul Sableman, CC BY 2.0 · Busch Stadium: Lee Ann Ratledge, CC BY 4.0 · Gateway Arch National Park: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Monks Mound: Skubasteve834, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Enterprise Center: Haaron755, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Belleville, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Belleville.
Belleville sends many workers across the state line to St. Louis, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
At 2 years of the St. Louis metro’s $80K median household income, the typical home (about $159K) costs less against local pay than in 79% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living.
60% of households own their home in Belleville.
| Belleville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,019 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Two of its 33 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belle Valley SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 997 | B− |
| Belleville High School-EastLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,600 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
The property crime rate in Belleville is 16.2 per 1,000 residents. Belleville reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 80% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Since 1979, 38 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Belleville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
4.6 miles of trail in 17 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Citizen's Park, at 52 acres.
| Belleville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.1% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bicentennial Park | 1.5 mi | 49 |
| 2. Bellevue Park | 1.2 mi | 21 |
| 3. Laderman Park | 1 mi | 31 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Belleville has chilly winters and warm summers. Belleville’s July high is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
20% of working residents cross a state line to work, St. Louis among the top destinations.
About one in 5 of Belleville’s working residents works in town. 15% of Belleville residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Belleville has lost 1,729 jobs, to 23,059 in 2023.
| Belleville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 12% | 11% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 9,653 U.S. towns with household incomes like Belleville’s, it is healthier than 58%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Belleville beats the Illinois average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12.
| Belleville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Belleville | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8% | 9.9% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 10.7% | 7.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
5 within 15 miles of the center of Belleville
About 5 of every 100 Belleville residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
6 places in Belleville on the National Register of Historic Places.
51 notable people were born in Belleville.
City in Illinois, United States
Belleville is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. It is a southeastern suburb of St. Louis. The population was 42,404 at the 2020 census, making it the most populous city in Greater St. Louis's Metro East region and in all of Southern Illinois south of Springfield. Due to its proximity to Scott Air Force Base, the city has a significant population of military and federal civilian personnel. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Belleville and home to the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with Belleville.
East St. Louis next door grades lower for schools (D to Belleville’s B−) and higher for cost of living (A to B).
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belleville | #595 | C | B | C− | B− | C+ |
| St. Clair Township | #482 | B− | B− | — | C+ | B− |
| Stookey Township | #226 | A− | B | — | B+ | B |
| Swansea | #266 | A− | B− | B+ | B+ | B+ |
| Centreville Township | #721 | D | A− | — | D | D− |
| East St. Louis · East St. Louis Township | #695 | D | A | — | D | D− |
| Shiloh Valley Township | #170 | A | C− | — | A | A− |
| Freeburg | #169 | A | C+ | — | A | A− |
St. Clair Township, Stookey Township, Centreville Township, East St. Louis, Shiloh Valley Township and Freeburg report no FBI crime data of their own. Smithton Township and Smithton are one community, graded once. East St. Louis Township and East St. Louis are one community, graded once. Compare Belleville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Belleville grades C overall, better than 30% of U.S. towns and #595 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C+ for health, C− for safety and B− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Louis, MO-IL metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
51 notable people were born here, including Sandra Magnus and Buddy Ebsen.
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