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Charleston

#8,556 in Best Places to Live in America
  • B
    Overall Grade
  • Town in Illinois
  • 64 reviews
    B
    Overall Niche Grade
    How are grades calculated?
    1. Public Schools
      C+
    2. Crime & Safety
      C+
    3. Housing
      C+
    4. Nightlife
      A
    5. Good for Families
      B-
    6. Diversity
      B
    7. Jobs
      B-
    8. Weather
      B
    9. Cost of Living
      B+
    10. Health & Fitness
      B
    11. Outdoor Activities
      B
    12. Commute
      A
    View Full Report Card
    Charleston is a town in Illinois with a population of 21,202. Charleston is in Coles County. Living in Charleston offers residents a dense suburban feel and most residents rent their homes. In Charleston there are a lot of parks. Many young professionals live in Charleston and residents tend to lean conservative.
    Population
    21,202

    Real Estate

    Median Home Value
    $91,400
    National
    $184,700
    Median Rent
    $648
    National
    $949
    Area Feel
    Dense Suburban
    Rent vs. Own
    • Rent
      53%
    • Own
      47%
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    Charleston Rankings

    Niche ranks thousands of places to live based on key statistics from the U.S. Census and and expert insights.

    Crime & Safety

    Crime & Safety
    C+
    Based on violent and property crime rates.
    Violent Crimes
    • Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
    National
    • Assault
      176.1
      282.7
    • Murder
      9.5
      6.1
    • Rape
      19
      40.7
    • Robbery
      4.8
      135.5
    Property Crimes
    • Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
    National
    • Burglary
      166.5
      500.1
    • Theft
      342.6
      2,042.8
    • Motor Vehicle Theft
      28.5
      284

    Residents

    Diversity
    B
    Based on ethnic and economic diversity.
    Age
    • <10 years
      8%
    • 10-17 years
      6%
    • 18-24 years
      36%
    • 25-34 years
      13%
    • 35-44 years
      10%
    • 45-54 years
      8%
    • 55-64 years
      10%
    • 65+ years
      10%
    Education Levels
    National
    • Master's degree or higher
      18%
      12%
    • Bachelor's degree
      17%
      19%
    • Some college or associate's degree
      30%
      29%
    • High school diploma or equivalent
      25%
      28%
    • Less than high school diploma
      9%
      13%

    Working in Charleston

    Jobs
    B-
    Based on employment rates, job and business growth, and cost of living.
    Median Household Income
    $29,968
    National
    $55,322
    Search for Jobs in Charleston

    Places to Work in Charleston

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    Charleston Reviews

    64 reviews
    All Categories
    Charleston is a very beautiful town with eye-catching buildings. Many of them looking like castles and medieval structures. Apart from buildings, Charleston has its breathtaking lakes and ponds with their trails where you can have a peaceful connection with nature and others while enjoying such activities. Unfortunately, this town posses very few chain restaurants, malls, and recreational facilities. If you're looking for places like those you would have to travel to the other near towns by car.
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    The overall community is super friendly! When the college students leave it is like a ghost town, which isn't always a bad thing. It is a fun place to be in the summertime, but the town could use another store that is not Walmart and some more restaurants that aren't pizza places.
    Charleston is a family friendly place as there is never lots of traffic, there are lakes to visit and people here are generally friendly. The place however is not friendly regarding diversity, there is no convenient public transit and shops are limited to a Walmart. There are no conveniences such as Uber, grubhub etc., and the one time grocery delivery was set in place, it costed $8. The place is alive just because of EIU which is your classic small campus college. Friendly place altogether but definitely not a city you want to make home forever.