Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,839, settled in 1871. 2.3 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Illinois town.
Carterville is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B− overall, ranked 455th of 767 in Illinois, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its schools outperform 79% of the state's. It also does better than most on health: it is healthier than 74% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $185K, 2.8 years of the Marion area’s $66K median household income. Carterville is home to John A Logan College. Only 108 of Illinois’ 1,240 towns score higher on civic life. The biggest park or preserve is Cannon Park, at 46 acres.
Where Carterville beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Tri-C Elementary School | K–3 | 650 |
| Carterville Intermediate Sch | 4–6 | 500 |
| Carterville Jr High Sch | 7–8 | 344 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Carterville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 692 in 1880, 5,848 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1939 and 4 maps from 1910 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Carterville, 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 Carterville.
Carterville is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has commutes shorter than most of Illinois.
Its public schools are run by Carterville CUSD 5. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Carterville High School, with 668 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tri-C Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–3 | Grades K–3 | 650 | B+ |
| Carterville High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 668 | A− |
| Carterville Jr High SchTop results in townGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 344 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
60% of households own their home in Carterville, where Illinois’ towns sit at 75% and U.S. towns at 73%. Carterville’s median rent is $909 a month. The typical Carterville home is worth about $185,000, up 1.4% in a year, 38% below the Illinois typical home.
| Carterville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $909 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The average commute for its 2,372 working residents takes 20.2 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
Most working residents leave Carterville for work: only 7% work in town. At 20 minutes, Carterville’s average trip to work is below both Illinois’ towns (26 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). The median household income in Carterville is $62,000.
| Carterville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.6% | 8.4% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 9,490 U.S. towns with household incomes like Carterville’s, it is healthier than 95%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Its widest gap with Illinois is no health insurance: 5.9% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 9.9% statewide.
19% of Carterville adults binge drink. Carterville beats the Illinois average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 20% of Carterville adults get no exercise outside work.
| Carterville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 23% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Carterville | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.9% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.9% | 15.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.8% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 77% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Carterville since 1979.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Carterville has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 25° and about 11 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Among 357 Illinois towns, just 10 have a lower property crime rate than Carterville. Carterville's reported crime rate is well below Illinois's. 4 violent crimes were reported in 2025.
| Carterville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Illinois average. 47% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Carterville.
| Carterville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 47% | 29% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 26% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 37 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 19% | 18% |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.1 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Carterville | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15.5% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.3% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.2% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.8% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.7% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.6% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.6% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.4% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.8% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 19.2% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 16% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.3% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.6% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 19.1% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
0.5 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Carterville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.2% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cannon Park | — | 46 |
| 2. Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Carterville
About 9 of every 100 Carterville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
Where Carterville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 towns share a border with Carterville.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carterville | #455 | B− | C+ | — | A− | B+ |
| Crainville | — | — | B+ | — | A− | B+ |
| Cambria | — | — | B− | — | A− | B− |
| Herrin | #646 | C− | B+ | C− | B+ | C |
Crainville and Cambria have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Carterville, Crainville and Cambria report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Carterville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Carterville grades B− overall, better than 53% of U.S. towns and #455 of 767 in Illinois. It grades B+ for health and A− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.