Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 11,863, settled in 1853.
Centralia earns a D−, 754th among Illinois's 767 graded towns, mostly because of incomes and safety. The median household income is $48K, and 24% of residents live below the poverty line. Its crime rate is higher than 92% of U.S. towns, with 108 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. In its favor, a typical home costs about $115K, 1.9 years of the Centralia area’s $61K median household income. Centralia’s violent crime rate is 9.2 per 1,000 residents, above both the Illinois town median (1) and the median of U.S. towns (1.6). Only 40 of Illinois’ 1,284 towns score lower on health. Centralia's schools rank behind 86% of the state's.
Where Centralia beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
3.4% of the town is conserved land, across 11 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Centralia is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,190 in 1870, a peak of 16,343 in 1940, 12,182 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1867 and 3 maps from 1914 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Centralia, 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 Centralia.
Centralia is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it reports violent crime at 4 times the Illinois rate.
13 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. Centralia’s trail density is 1.5 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Foundation Park, 167 acres with 4.7 miles of trail.
| Centralia | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.4% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Foundation Park | 4.7 mi | 167 |
| 2. Foundation Park Wetlands | 4.1 mi | 92 |
| 3. Fairview Park | 1.5 mi | 44 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 1.9 years of the Centralia area’s $61K median household income, the typical home (about $115K) costs less against local pay than in 82% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $1,558, against $5,298 across Illinois, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The median rent in Centralia is $765 a month. Typical home values rose 7.2% in the year to September 2026. 63% of households own their home in Centralia.
| Centralia | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 63% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $765 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Violent crime runs at 9.2 per 1,000 residents, 4 times the Illinois rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D. Reported crimes rose from 299 to 486 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Only 8 of the 357 Illinois towns we compare have a higher property crime rate than Centralia. Centralia reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 92% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 4,946 U.S. towns with household incomes like Centralia’s, it is less healthy than 66%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
17% of Centralia adults report frequent physical distress. Centralia beats the Illinois average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 21. 26% of Centralia adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Centralia | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 11% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 18% | 19% |
| What stands out | Centralia | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79% | 75.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.1% | 10.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Centralia.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Centralia has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 23° and about 7 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 4,408 working residents takes 19 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
About one in 4 of Centralia’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Centralia has lost 953 jobs, to 5,384 in 2023. The top destinations are Mount Vernon (7%), Salem (5%) and Centralia Township (4%).
| Centralia | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $48,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 6% | 11% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
1 within 15 miles of the center of Centralia
About 4 of every 100 Centralia residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
2 places in Centralia on the National Register of Historic Places.
19 notable people were born in Centralia.
City in the United States
Centralia is a city in Clinton, Jefferson, Marion, and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Illinois with the largest portion in Marion County. The city is the largest in three counties, Clinton, Marion, and Washington, but it is not a county seat for any of them. The population was 12,182 as of the 2020 census, down from 13,032 in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Centralia.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centralia · Centralia Township | #754 | D− | A− | D | D | D |
| Wamac | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Central City | — | — | A+ | — | C | D− |
| Brookside Township | #657 | C− | A | — | C | D |
Central City has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Central City and Brookside Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Wamac isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Centralia Township and Centralia are one community, graded once. Compare Centralia with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Centralia grades D− overall, better than 5% of U.S. towns and #754 of 767 in Illinois. It grades D for health, D for safety and D for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
19 notable people were born here, including Roland Burris and James Brady.
