Sesser Opera House · National Register of Historic Places
Sesser’s story
120 years in pictures
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1966.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1906Sesser is settled
SesserIL
A town of 1,888, settled in 1906.
2 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Population
1,888
2025 Census estimate · −0.6% since 2020
Typical home
$120K
+7.1% in a year
Household income
$53K
median
Median age
38.3
years
Jobs based here
184
A commuter town
Is Sesser a good place to live?
Sesser’s best subject grade is an A for cost of living; its weakest is a D for incomes. Sesser’s average trip to work is 35 minutes, above both the Illinois town median (26 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only 69 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns score lower on incomes. Sesser Opera House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Sesser's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 80% of U.S. towns. Sesser has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Sesser stand out
Where Sesser beats most towns.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Sesser for work
Where Sesser’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
184jobs based in Sesser
4%of working residents work in town
18 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Sesser grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Sesser is from typical.
Jobs & income$53K median household income; 184 jobs based hereDOpen →Cost of livingAOpen →Hazard riskearthquakes tops the listC−Open →HealthFranklin Hospital 9.2 miles awayCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.3 of 20; 3.6% of households have no car; 1.2% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →SchoolsBehind 54% of Illinois districts on tests and graduationB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsCOpen →History1 place on the National RegisterB−Open →Civic life1.7 library visits per resident; 3 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 38.3; 18% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Sesser: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sesser, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSesser water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Sesser’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Illinois you can register online until 16 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 28 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereFranklin County ClerkFranklin County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code6288462884 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Sesser.
HousingCost of living grade A
The typical home in Sesser is valued at about $120K
The typical Sesser home is worth about $120,000, up 7.1% in a year, 60% below the Illinois typical home. Sesser’s median rent is $726 a month, against $1,129 a month in Illinois’ towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns.
$120KZillow home value
| Sesser | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $726 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 75% | 73% |
Typical home value
Sesser$120K
Illinois$296K
+7.1%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Sesser has 0.3 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Sesser for work: only 4% work in town. 20% of residents live below the poverty line in Sesser. The top destinations are Mount Vernon (21%), Marion (7%) and Benton (6%).
4%work in town
| Sesser | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.3% | 8.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Sesser4%
Mount Vernon21%
Marion7%
Benton6%
Goode Township6%
18 mi
median commute distance
184
jobs based in Sesser
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 32% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthC
Sesser is less healthy than 72% of U.S. towns
Sesser beats the Illinois average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 15% of Sesser adults report frequent physical distress.
28%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Sesser | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 36% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
0 better21 too close to call11 worse
| What stands out | Sesser | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 9.6% | 6.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.6% | 10.3% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.2% | 5.9% |
Franklin Hospital
9.2 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
Earthquakes leads a high hazard risk in Sesser
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 71% of U.S. communities.
71risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland floodingCold waves
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Sesser has four seasons and pleasant summers
Sesser has chilly winters and warm summers. The July high in Sesser is 88°F.
8″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter26–43°
Spring45–66°
Summer65–86°
Fall46–68°
Oct 27
typical first frost
Apr 4
typical last frost
+0.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Safety
In Sesser, property crime runs lower than in the typical Illinois or U.S. town
Sesser’s property crime rate is 0.5 per 1,000 residents. Sesser's reported crime rate is well below Illinois's. Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2024.
| Sesser | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 0.5 per 1,000 residents | 9.3 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.2 | 1.7 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Sesser1.1
Illinois2.9
U.S.3.6
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Sesser0.5
Illinois17.7
U.S.17.7
2
violent crimes reported in 2024
1
property crimes reported in 2024
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 662 acres
0.3 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Miners Park | 0.2 mi | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sesser
18pages on Sesser
The big questions
SchoolsB−Behind 54% of IL districtsSafety1.1 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2024)HealthCBetter than IL on 0 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingA$120K typical home · up 7.1% in a yearWork & commuteD$53K median household income · 184 jobs hereNatural hazardsC−FEMA risk higher than 71% of U.S. communities · earthquakes
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Sesser
About 8 of every 100 Sesser residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
About Sesser
City in Illinois, United States
Sesser is a city in Franklin County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,888 at the 2020 census. The current mayor is C. Jason Ashmore.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 479 ft
- ZIP code
- 62884
- Area code
- 618
Sesser’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Sesser.
Goode TownshipBarren TownshipSesser
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sesser | — | — | A | — | B− | C |
| Goode Township | #610 | C | A | — | B− | C |
| Barren Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Sesser has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Sesser and Goode Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Barren Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Sesser with a neighbor →
Questions about Sesser
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sesser, IL expensive?
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.