Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Pinckneyville gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $135K for a typical one, or 2.2 years of the county’s $62K median household income. It grades A− overall, 282nd of 767 graded towns in Illinois. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 71% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. On the plus side, crime is low: it reports less per resident than 93% of U.S. towns. 12% of residents are under 18 in Pinckneyville, where Illinois’ towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 22%. Of the 748 Illinois towns we compare, none has a lower median rent than Pinckneyville. Perry County Jail is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Pinckneyville beats most towns.
Perry County Jail5,648 counted in 2010 and 5,066 in 2020; an estimated 4,903 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 3.3% since 2020, after 10.3% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Pinckneyville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 436 in 1860, 5,066 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1907 and 3 maps from 1924 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pinckneyville, 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 Pinckneyville.
Pinckneyville pairs an A− overall with homes cheaper than the Illinois norm, trades workers with Nashville and other neighbors and sees little violent crime.
Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Pinckneyville is 2 per 1,000 residents.
| Pinckneyville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Pinckneyville Comm High School, with 403 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pinckneyville Elem SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 268 | B+ |
| Pinckneyville Comm High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 403 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
Pinckneyville grades A− overall with a typical home of about $135K, below the Illinois typical value; only 48 of the 183 Illinois towns graded A− or better can say that. Homes are within reach (about $135K for the typical one, A+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 20 miles.
85% of households own their home in Pinckneyville. The typical Pinckneyville home is worth about $135,000, down 0.5% in a year, 54% below the Illinois typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2.7 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is Pinckneyville Park, at 53 acres.
| Pinckneyville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.9% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pinckneyville Park | 0.5 mi | 53 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Pinckneyville beats the Illinois average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 42% of Pinckneyville adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Pinckneyville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 35% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 33% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 78% | 79% |
| What stands out | Pinckneyville | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.7% | 7.6% |
| More smokers | 17.4% | 12.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Since 1983, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Pinckneyville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Pinckneyville has chilly winters and warm summers. Pinckneyville’s July high is 88°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Pinckneyville has about as many jobs (1,736) as working residents, but only 354 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 18.4 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
About one in 4 of Pinckneyville’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Nashville (8%), Mount Vernon (4%) and Carbondale (4%).
| Pinckneyville | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $70,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Pinckneyville; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Pinckneyville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
City in Illinois, United States
Pinckneyville is a city in and the county seat of Perry County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,066 at the 2020 census. It is named for Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, an early American diplomat and presidential candidate. Pinckneyville is the location of the Pinckneyville Power Plant, a combustion turbine generator (CTG)-type power plant run by Ameren.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Pinckneyville grades A− overall, better than 75% of U.S. towns and #282 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C for health, A 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 A+.
2 notable people were born here, including Ralph A. Dunn and John Dunn.