Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town, settled in 1874, counts 251 residents.
29% of residents live below the poverty line in East Cape Girardeau, where Illinois’ towns sit at 8.4% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Of the 769 Illinois towns we compare, none has a higher midsummer high than East Cape Girardeau. East Cape Girardeau has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 539 in 1980, 289 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 2 maps from 1920 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in East Cape Girardeau, 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 East Cape Girardeau.
East Cape Girardeau: 64% of households live in a home they own. Typical home values fell 4.5% in the year to September 2026. The median rent here is $930 a month.
| East Cape Girardeau | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 64% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $930 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
55% of East Cape Girardeau’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by earthquakes at 18%. The town has had 80 paid flood insurance claims since 1979. Federal aid has come to East Cape Girardeau households in 3 declared disasters; the latest was in 2019.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The top destinations are Cape Girardeau (18%), Anna (7%) and Marion (7%). East Cape Girardeau’s average trip to work stands at 17 minutes. For half of commuters, work is under 29 miles away.
| East Cape Girardeau | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $42,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 26° and about 8 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The share of adults in East Cape Girardeau who report frequent mental distress: 19%. In East Cape Girardeau, 18% of adults smoke cigarettes, and 16% report frequent physical distress.
| East Cape Girardeau | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 18% | 19% |
| What stands out | East Cape Girardeau | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 9.8% | 6.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.3% | 10.3% |
| More smokers | 17.5% | 12.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Count the trails in 1 park or preserve and they come to 0.2 miles. In East Cape Girardeau, the concentration of trails is 0.1 miles per square mile. This Illinois town has one park or preserve, 4 acres in all.
| East Cape Girardeau | 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. East Cape Park | 0.2 mi | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of East Cape Girardeau
About 1 of every 100 East Cape Girardeau residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
Where East Cape Girardeau’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Village in Illinois, United States
East Cape Girardeau is a village in McClure Precinct, Alexander County, Illinois, United States. The population was 289 as of the 2020 census, and was estimated at 251 in 2025. It is part of the Cape Girardeau–Jackson metropolitan area, including areas on both the Missouri and Illinois sides of the Mississippi River.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
East Cape Girardeau has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.