Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Paris gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $111K for a typical one, or 1.8 years of the county’s $60K median household income. It grades B− overall, 492nd of 767 graded towns in Illinois. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its crime rate is higher than 79% of U.S. towns, with 46 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, and the median household income is $54K, and 12% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 81% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 92% of U.S. towns, with 7 places on the National Register. 44% of working residents work locally in Paris, against 8.3% in Illinois’ towns and 8% across U.S. towns. On history, just 88 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do better.
Where Paris beats most towns.
Edgar County Courthouse
Census counts: 1,930 in 1860, 8,291 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1870 and 2 maps from 1947 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Paris is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Paris, 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 Paris.
Paris draws workers from Terre Haute and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Illinois rate.
At 1.8 years of the county’s $60K median household income, the typical home (about $111K) costs less against local pay than in 85% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living. The typical value, about $111K, is 10% below its April 2021 peak.
Paris’ median rent is $777 a month. The typical Paris home is worth about $111,000, up 0.8% in a year, 63% below the Illinois typical home. 65% of households own their home in Paris.
| Paris | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $777 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 65% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
4,549 jobs are based in Paris, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 14 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
The average trip to work in Paris is 14 minutes. Since 2013, Paris has added 703 jobs, to 4,549 in 2023. 13% of Paris residents live below the poverty line.
| Paris | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Violent crime runs at 5.7 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Illinois rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its C−.
Paris reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 79% report less.
| Paris | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.7 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15.8 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 7,096 U.S. towns with household incomes like Paris’s, it is healthier than 50%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Paris beats the Illinois average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13.
| Paris | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 18% | 19% |
| What stands out | Paris | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 21.1% | 10.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 10% | 6.3% |
| More smokers | 17.5% | 12.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Paris since 2008.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Paris has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 20° and about 19 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
0.0 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sunset Park | — | 6 |
| 2. Sunrise Park | — | 5 |
| 3. Sylvain Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Paris. Close and well known come first.
32 mi State parkTurkey Run State Park18 mi MuseumCANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center
18 mi MuseumSwope Art Museum
18 mi MuseumPaul Dresser Birthplace
32 mi MuseumMansfield Roller MillTurkey Run State Park: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Swope Art Museum: Colin Pizarek, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Paul Dresser Birthplace: Nyttend, Public domain · Mansfield Roller Mill: Nyttend, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Paris
About 4 of every 100 Paris residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
Where Paris’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
7 places in Paris on the National Register of Historic Places.
20 notable people were born in Paris.
City in Illinois, United States
Paris is a city in Edgar County, Illinois, United States. It is 165 miles (266 km) south of Chicago and 90 miles (140 km) west of Indianapolis. The population was 8,291 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat and largest city in Edgar County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Paris.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris · Paris Township | #492 | B− | A | C− | B+ | C |
Paris Township and Paris are one community, graded once. Compare Paris with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Paris grades B− overall, better than 47% of U.S. towns and #492 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C for health, C− for safety and B+ for schools. Safety 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 A.
20 notable people were born here, including Carl Switzer and Jean Paige.
