Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Carmi earns a D, 692nd among Illinois's 767 graded towns, mostly because of health and incomes. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 87% of the country. The median household income is $48K, and 22% of residents live below the poverty line. It also has a long history, with 5 places on the National Register. 30% of working residents work locally in Carmi, where Illinois’ towns sit at 8.3% and U.S. towns at 8%. Its National Register listings include Ratcliff Inn and Robinson-Stewart House. Carmi's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 82% of U.S. towns.
Where Carmi beats most towns.
Its founding year, 1816, comes before those of 98% of the Illinois towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 2,512 in 1880, 4,865 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1871 and 2 maps from 1940 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Carmi is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Carmi, 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 Carmi.
Carmi has homes that are cheap against local pay and trades workers with Evansville and other neighbors, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
At 1.9 years of the county’s $55K median household income, the typical home (about $105K) costs less against local pay than in 82% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to its B− for cost of living. The typical value, about $105K, is 15% below its October 2022 peak.
Carmi’s midpoint rent stands at $839 a month. Home values are up 3.2% over the year to September 2026. Among households in the town, 69% live in a home they own.
| Carmi | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $839 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
In Carmi, the trail network density is 0.9 miles per square mile. 2.3 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in the town: 2, covering 25 acres.
| Carmi | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.4% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bradshaw Park | 0.3 mi | 19 |
| 2. Eckerle Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The nearest emergency room, Hamilton Memorial Hospital, is 20.1 miles away in a straight line. Against the 4,952 U.S. towns with household incomes like Carmi’s, it is less healthy than 62%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
Nearly two in five adults have obesity in Carmi. The town does better than the Illinois average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 17. In Carmi, 19% of adults smoke cigarettes, and 26% say their health is fair or poor.
| Carmi | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 18% | 19% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Carmi | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.8% | 75.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.5% | 10.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Carmi’s risk rating from FEMA comes in at 70 of 100. 43% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from earthquakes, followed by inland flooding at 28%. It has had 38 paid flood insurance claims since 1978.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Expect July afternoons of 88° and January nights of 24°, with about 12 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Carmi has about as many jobs (2,206) as working residents, but only 607 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 20.9 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
The top destinations are Evansville (6%), Albion (3%) and Mount Vernon (3%). About one worker in three stays in Carmi for work. Jobs in the town fell by 352 from 2013 to 2023, to 2,206. Also worth knowing: the mean commuting time for Carmi comes to 21 minutes.
| Carmi | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $48,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. Carmi's reported crime rate is above Illinois's. Its property crime rate stands at 20.3 per 1,000 residents. 5 violent crimes were reported in 2025.
| Carmi | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 20.3 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Carmi; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Carmi residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
5 places in Carmi on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Carmi.
City in Illinois, United States
Carmi (CAR-mī) is a city in and the county seat of White County, Illinois, United States, along the Little Wabash River. As of the 2020 census, Carmi had a population of 4,865..
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Carmi grades D overall, better than 13% of U.S. towns and #692 of 767 in Illinois. It grades D for health and B− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 1.9 years of the area's median household income ($54,813 across the county).
4 notable people were born here, including James R. Williams and Anita Boyer.
