Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,149, settled in 1852.
Virden gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $125K for a typical one, or 1.6 years of the St. Louis metro’s $80K median household income. It grades B overall, 421st of 767 graded towns in Illinois. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 87% of U.S. towns. 13% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Virden, below both Illinois’ towns (29%) and U.S. towns (29%).
Where Virden beats most towns.
Where Virden’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Virden is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,608 in 1880, a peak of 4,682 in 1920, 3,231 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1958 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Virden, 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 Virden.
Homes are within reach (about $125K for the typical one, A+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles. At 1.6 years of the St. Louis metro’s $80K median household income, the typical home (about $125K) costs less against local pay than in 91% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to its A+ for cost of living.
The median rent in Virden is $864 a month. The typical Virden home is worth about $125,000, up 2.2% in a year, 58% below the Illinois typical home. 67% of households own their home in Virden.
| Virden | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $864 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
Most working residents leave Virden for work: only 9% work in town. Jobs based in Virden fell to 705 in 2023, 112 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Springfield (32%), Auburn (4%) and Girard (4%).
| Virden | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Virden’s violent crime rate is 2.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Virden | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.6 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13.1 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Virden has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 20° and about 16 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 65% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Virden beats the Illinois average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 15% of Virden adults smoke cigarettes.
| Virden | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 35% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Virden | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.4% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.2% | 13.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.3% | 6.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Virden; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Virden residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
City in Illinois, United States
Virden is a city in Macoupin and Sangamon counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 3,231 at the 2020 census. The Macoupin County portion of Virden is part of Greater St. Louis, while the Sangamon County portion is part of the Springfield, Illinois metropolitan area. Virden was the scene of an 1898 coal miners' strike, during which Mary Harris "Mother" Jones played a major role.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Virden.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virden · Virden Township | #421 | B | A+ | C | C | B− |
| Auburn Township | #353 | B+ | A− | — | C+ | B+ |
Auburn Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Virden Township and Virden are one community, graded once. Compare Virden with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Virden grades B overall, better than 58% of U.S. towns and #421 of 767 in Illinois. It grades B− for health, C for safety and C for schools.
Not for the area. Louis, MO-IL metro 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+.