Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Edwardsville grades A overall, 105th of 767 graded towns in Illinois. The median household earns $87K. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 84% of the country and it reports less crime per resident than 83% of U.S. towns. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $328K for a typical one and 4.1 times the St. Louis metro’s $80K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 90% of U.S. towns, with 8 places on the National Register. Edwardsville’s trail density is 1.0 miles per square mile, where Illinois’ towns sit at 0.3 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Edwardsville is home to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Only 108 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns score higher on history.
Where Edwardsville beats most towns.
Its founding year, 1818, comes before those of 96% of the Illinois towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 677 in 1850, 26,808 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1822 and 6 maps from 1927 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Edwardsville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Edwardsville. Close and well known come first.
Big draw10 mi State parkCahokia
Big draw15 mi Stadium & arenaThe Dome at America's Center
16 mi Stadium & arenaBusch Stadium
10 mi LandmarkMonks Mound
15 mi National ParkGateway Arch National Park2.2M visitors a year
14 mi Ancient sitePiasaCahokia: Thank You (24 Millions ) views, CC BY 2.0 · The Dome at America's Center: Paul Sableman, CC BY 2.0 · Busch Stadium: Lee Ann Ratledge, CC BY 4.0 · Monks Mound: Skubasteve834, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gateway Arch National Park: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Piasa: Burfalcy, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Edwardsville, 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 Edwardsville.
Edwardsville is shaped by its college students, draws workers from Glen Carbon and beyond and reports less crime than Glen Carbon or any other graded neighbor.
21 miles of trail in 16 parks and preserves. Plummer Family Park, at 80 acres with 1.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Plummer Family Park | 1.1 mi | 80 |
| 2. Watershed Nature Center | 1.1 mi | 58 |
| 3. Joe Glik Park | 1 mi | 33 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
20,468 jobs are based in Edwardsville, 1.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 22% of working residents cross a state line to work, St. Louis among the top destinations.
Most working residents leave Edwardsville for work: only 17% work in town. Since 2013, Edwardsville has added 6,590 jobs, to 20,468 in 2023. At 23 minutes, Edwardsville’s average trip to work is against 26 minutes in Illinois’ towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns.
| Edwardsville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Work from home | 16% | 11% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its widest gap with Illinois is no health insurance: 6% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 9.9% statewide.
7.9% of Edwardsville adults have diabetes. Edwardsville beats the Illinois average on 19 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 28% of Edwardsville adults have high blood pressure.
| Edwardsville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.9% | 11% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Edwardsville | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 7.9% | 11.7% |
| More adults in frequent mental distress | 17.9% | 15.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A− tops all 3 graded towns on its borders; Glen Carbon (B) comes closest. Violent crime is rare: 11 reported in 2025, 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
The violent crime rate in Edwardsville is 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Edwardsville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.8 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Edwardsville has chilly winters and warm summers. Edwardsville’s July high is 88°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Typical home values rose 4.5% in the year to September 2026. 67% of households own their home in Edwardsville.
| Edwardsville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 67% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,306 a month | $1,128 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 2008, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Edwardsville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Edwardsville
College town 22 of every 100 Edwardsville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
8 places in Edwardsville on the National Register of Historic Places.
20 notable people were born in Edwardsville.
City in Illinois, United States
Edwardsville is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 26,808 as of the 2020 census. The city was named in honor of Ninian Edwards, former governor of the Illinois Territory. Edwardsville is a part of Southern Illinois and the Metro East region within Greater St. Louis, located 18 miles (29 km) northeast of downtown St. Louis. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, the Edwardsville Arts Center, the Edwardsville Journal, the Madison County Record, and the Edwardsville Intelligencer are based in Edwardsville. Edwardsville High School and Metro-East Lutheran High School serve students in the area. Edwardsville also serves as the headquart…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Edwardsville.
It grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; Glen Carbon (A−) comes closest. Pontoon Beach next door grades lower for schools (D− to Edwardsville’s A−) and higher for cost of living (B− to C−).
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edwardsville | #105 | A | C− | A− | A− | A− |
| Glen Carbon | #236 | A− | C+ | B | A− | A |
| Pontoon Beach | #759 | D− | B− | C | D− | C− |
| South Roxana | — | — | A | C+ | C+ | C− |
| Edwardsville Township | #248 | A− | C | — | A− | A− |
| Pin Oak Township | #302 | B+ | C− | — | A− | A− |
| Mitchell | — | — | A | — | D− | D |
South Roxana and Mitchell have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Edwardsville Township, Pin Oak Township and Mitchell report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Edwardsville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Edwardsville grades A overall, better than 92% of U.S. towns and #105 of 767 in Illinois. It grades A− for health, A− for safety and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Louis, MO-IL metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
20 notable people were born here, including Charles S. Deneen and Barb Honchak.
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