Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It counts 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Trash & recycling33% of working residents work locally in Charleston Township, above both Illinois’ towns (8.3%) and U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Stone Quarry Bridge and Will Rogers Theatre and Commercial Block. We don’t grade Charleston Township yet; the figures below are still real.
Where Charleston Township beats most towns.
Census counts: 849 in 1850, 17,286 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1858 and 3 maps from 1933 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Charleston Township, 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 Charleston Township.
Among adults 25 and older in Charleston Township, 35% hold a bachelor’s degree or more. For Charleston Township, the median age is 30.2 years.
| Charleston Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 30.2 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 15% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 29% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.5 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Charleston Township | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.7% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.8% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 29.2% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.3% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.6% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.3% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.9% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.7% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.3% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.8% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.4% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 21% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.5% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.8% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 17.5% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Two of its 6 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Public schools: Charleston CUSD 1. The largest public high school is Charleston High School, with 795 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Elem SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 4–6 | Grades 4–6 | 698 | C+ |
| Charleston High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 795 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts
A winter brings about 19 inches of snow, with January nights at 20° and July afternoons at 86°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
For half of commuters, work is under 11 miles away. Charleston Township’s average commute comes in at 16 minutes. The top destinations are Charleston (31%), Mattoon (14%) and Lafayette Township (5%). 23% of Charleston Township residents live below the poverty line.
| Charleston Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.8% | 11% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
One declared disaster, in 2008, has brought federal aid to Charleston Township households. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 64% of U.S. communities. 56% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by earthquakes at 12%.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The share of adults in Charleston Township who have obesity: 38%. Among adults locally, 36% feel lonely and 18% worry about having enough food.
| Charleston Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 33% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | Charleston Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults without reliable transportation | 10.3% | 8% |
| More adults in frequent mental distress | 19.6% | 15.6% |
| More adults with depression | 24.4% | 19.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The biggest park or preserve is Coles County Fairgrounds, at 31 acres. There are 4.4 miles of trail across 12 parks and preserves. Also worth knowing: for Charleston Township, the trail network density is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Charleston Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.1% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sister City Park | 0.3 mi | 15 |
| 2. Coles County Fairgrounds | — | 31 |
| 3. Lakeview Park | — | 31 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Charleston Township
College town 23 of every 100 Charleston Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
23,916 counted in 2010 and 19,313 in 2020; an estimated 19,485 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
2 places in Charleston Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Illinois, United States
Charleston is a city in and the county seat of Coles County, Illinois, United States. The population was 17,286, as of the 2020 census. The city is home to Eastern Illinois University and has close ties with its neighbor, Mattoon. Both are principal cities of the Charleston–Mattoon Micropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Charleston Township.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hutton Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ashmore Township | — | — | B+ | — | D | B |
| Charleston | #709 | D | B− | C | D | B− |
| Pleasant Grove Township | — | — | B− | — | C− | B |
| Seven Hickory Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Morgan Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lafayette Township | #686 | D | B− | — | C− | C |
Ashmore Township and Pleasant Grove Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Ashmore Township, Pleasant Grove Township and Lafayette Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Charleston Township, Hutton Township, Seven Hickory Township and Morgan Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Charleston Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
We don’t grade Charleston Township yet; the figures below are still real. It counts 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
