Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Herrin gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $112K for a typical one, or 1.7 years of the Marion area’s $66K median household income. It grades C− overall, 646th of 767 graded towns in Illinois. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 79% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top, and its crime rate is higher than 82% of U.S. towns, with 47 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Herrin’s property crime rate is 22 per 1,000 residents, above both the Illinois town median (7.9) and the median of U.S. towns (9.9). The biggest park or preserve is Herrin Sports Complex, at 54 acres. Among 768 Illinois towns, just 10 have a higher January low than Herrin.
Where Herrin beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Herrin is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Its founding year, 1816, comes before those of 98% of the Illinois towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 1,559 in 1900, 12,352 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 4 maps from 1910 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Herrin, 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 Herrin.
Herrin is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
At 1.7 years of the Marion area’s $66K median household income, the typical home (about $112K) costs less against local pay than in 88% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living. Its typical home is the least expensive on its borders; Energy is next at $161K.
The typical Herrin home is worth about $112,000, down 3.9% in a year, 62% below the Illinois typical home. 66% of households own their home in Herrin.
| Herrin | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 66% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,002 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by Herrin CUSD 4. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Herrin High School, with 662 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herrin C U S D 4 Elem SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 2–5 | Grades 2–5 | 712 | B− |
| Herrin High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 662 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
The violent crime rate in Herrin is 3.8 per 1,000 residents. Herrin reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 82% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Since 1982, 12 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Herrin.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 8,897 U.S. towns with household incomes like Herrin’s, it is healthier than 52%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
24% of Herrin adults have been diagnosed with depression. Herrin beats the Illinois average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 41% of Herrin adults have obesity.
| Herrin | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| What stands out | Herrin | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8% | 9.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 9% | 6.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Herrin has chilly winters and warm summers. Herrin’s July high is 88°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Herrin for work: only 17% work in town. Jobs based in Herrin fell to 3,952 in 2023, 699 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Marion (23%), Carbondale (11%) and Mount Vernon (4%).
| Herrin | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Herrin | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.1% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Herrin Sports Complex | — | 54 |
| 2. Herrin City Park | 0.2 mi | 43 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Herrin
About 4 of every 100 Herrin residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
Place in Illinois, United States
Herrin is a city in Williamson County, Illinois. The population was 12,352 at the 2020 census. The city is part of the Marion-Herrin Micropolitan Area and is a part of the Carbondale-Marion-Herrin, Illinois Combined Statistical Area with 123,272 residents, the sixth most populous Combined statistical area in Illinois.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Herrin.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herrin | #646 | C− | B+ | C− | B+ | C |
| Energy | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Crainville | — | — | B+ | — | A− | B+ |
| Carterville | #455 | B− | C+ | — | A− | B+ |
Crainville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Crainville and Carterville report no FBI crime data of their own. Energy isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Herrin with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Herrin grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #646 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C for health, C− for safety and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
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 B+.