Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Red Bud gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $255K, 3.7 years of the county’s $68K median household income. It grades A overall, 113th of 767 graded towns in Illinois. 26% of working residents work locally in Red Bud, where Illinois’ towns sit at 8.3% and U.S. towns at 8%. Only 117 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns score higher on history. Red Bud is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 74% of U.S. towns.
Where Red Bud beats most towns.
Red Bud Historic DistrictEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Red Bud is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Its founding year, 1820, comes before those of 95% of the Illinois towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 880 in 1870, 3,804 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1917 and 3 maps from 1912 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Red Bud, 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 Red Bud.
Red Bud pairs an A overall with homes cheaper than the Illinois norm, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and trades workers with Belleville and other neighbors.
Against the 10,662 U.S. towns with household incomes like Red Bud’s, it is healthier than 88%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Its widest gap with Illinois is food insecurity: 10.1% of its 2,947 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.9% statewide.
Red Bud beats the Illinois average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 19% of Red Bud adults binge drink.
| Red Bud | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 23% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 18% | 19% |
| What stands out | Red Bud | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.1% | 15.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.5% | 9.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by Red Bud CUSD 132. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Red Bud High School, with 396 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Bud Elem SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 582 | B |
| Red Bud High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 396 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 68% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The July high in Red Bud is 89°F. Red Bud has chilly winters and warm summers.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Red Bud has about as many jobs (1,862) as working residents, but only 445 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Red Bud’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Red Bud has added 221 jobs, to 1,862 in 2023. 4.9% of residents live below the poverty line in Red Bud.
| Red Bud | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 4.9% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $72,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Red Bud grades A overall with a typical home of about $255K, below the Illinois typical value; only 48 of the 183 Illinois towns graded A− or better can say that. Homes are within reach (about $255K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles.
Typical home values rose 9.4% in the year to September 2026. Red Bud’s median rent is $845 a month.
| Red Bud | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $845 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Red Bud's reported crime rate is well below Illinois's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. No violent crimes were reported in 2025.
| Red Bud | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.6 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
0.2 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Red Bud | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.5% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lincoln Park | 0.1 mi | 19 |
| 2. Ratz Memorial City Park | — | 16 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Red Bud. Close and well known come first.
Big draw31 mi State parkCahokia
Big draw31 mi Stadium & arenaThe Dome at America's Center
31 mi Stadium & arenaBusch Stadium
30 mi National ParkGateway Arch National Park2.2M visitors a year
32 mi LandmarkMonks Mound
31 mi Stadium & arenaEnterprise CenterCahokia: 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 · Gateway Arch National Park: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Monks Mound: Skubasteve834, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Enterprise Center: Haaron755, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Red Bud; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Red Bud residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
5 notable people were born in Red Bud.
City in Illinois, United States
Red Bud is a city in Randolph County, Illinois, in the United States. The population was 3,804 at the 2020 census. It is the home of the Red Bud campus of Southwestern Illinois College.
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. Red Bud grades A overall, better than 91% of U.S. towns and #113 of 767 in Illinois. It grades B+ for health and B for schools.
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−.
5 notable people were born here, including Alberta Pfeiffer and Conrad F. Becker.
.jpg){kind=link}
