Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Vandalia gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $133K, 2.2 years of the county’s $61K median household income. It grades C overall, 586th among Illinois's 767 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $45K, and 22% of residents live below the poverty line, and residents are less healthy than 80% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 76% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 90% of U.S. towns, with 3 places on the National Register. 22% of residents live below the poverty line in Vandalia, above both the Illinois town median (8.4%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On history, just 101 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do better. The biggest park or preserve is Rogier Park, at 28 acres.
Where Vandalia beats most towns.
Little Brick HouseEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Vandalia is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Its founding year, 1819, comes before those of 95% of the Illinois towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 419 in 1850, 7,458 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1876 and 2 maps from 1945 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Vandalia, 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 Vandalia.
Vandalia trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has seen reported crime rise by a fifth or more.
Homes are within reach (about $133K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 31 miles. Values fell 2.6% in the past year while the Illinois typical home rose 5.3%.
The median rent in Vandalia is $778 a month. The typical Vandalia home is worth about $133,000, 55% below the Illinois typical home. 67% of households own their home in Vandalia.
| Vandalia | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $778 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 4,171 U.S. towns with household incomes like Vandalia’s, it is healthier than 58%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
20% of Vandalia adults smoke cigarettes. Vandalia beats the Illinois average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 41% of Vandalia adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Vandalia | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 35% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 78% | 79% |
| What stands out | Vandalia | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.2% | 10.3% |
| More smokers | 19.7% | 12.1% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 11% | 7.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Vandalia has chilly winters and warm summers. Vandalia’s July high is 87°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Vandalia has about as many jobs (2,928) as working residents, but only 731 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 19.1 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
About one in 4 of Vandalia’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Vandalia has lost 635 jobs, to 2,928 in 2023. The top destinations are Effingham (6%), Springfield (4%) and Greenville (4%).
| Vandalia | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 28% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $45,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes rose from 114 to 139 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 54% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Vandalia since 2002.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Vandalia | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.8% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rogier Park | — | 28 |
| 2. Greer Park | — | 7 |
| 3. Kelley Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Vandalia; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Vandalia residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
3 places in Vandalia on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Vandalia.
City in Illinois, United States
Vandalia is a city in and the county seat of Fayette County, Illinois, United States. At the 2020 Census, the population was 7,458. The city is 60 miles (97 km) northeast of the Greater St. Louis area on the Kaskaskia River. In the early 19th century, Vandalia became the western terminus of the National Road (the first federal road) from the East Coast. Vandalia served as the state capital of Illinois from 1819 until 1839, when the seat of state government moved closer to the center of the state in Springfield. Since 1933, the Vandalia State House State Historic Site preserves and interprets the State House capital building and grounds, originally constructed in 1836.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Vandalia.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vandalia | #586 | C | B+ | B− | B− | C− |
| Sharon Township | #527 | C+ | B | — | B− | C+ |
| Sefton Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Sharon Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Sefton Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Vandalia with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Vandalia grades C overall, better than 32% of U.S. towns and #586 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C− for health, B− for safety and B− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
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+.
7 notable people were born here, including June Squibb and Frederick Remann.
