The 10 Poorest Cities In Illinois For 2023


The poorest places in Illinois are Carbondale and Cahokia for 2023 based on Saturday Night Science.

Like all states, Illinois has certain places that are going on hard times. These Illinois places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.

Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in Illinois.

To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 332 cities in Illinois with more than 5,000 people.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


Here are the ten poorest places in Illinois for 2023:

  1. Carbondale
  2. Cahokia
  3. East St. Louis
  4. West Frankfort
  5. Harvey
  6. Riverdale
  7. Macomb
  8. Urbana
  9. Kankakee
  10. Pinckneyville

What’s the poorest city in Illinois? According to the facts, Carbondale is the poorest place in Illinois for 2023.

This isn’t a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Instead, it’s just a look at the facts.

For more Illinois reading, check out:


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The 10 Poorest Cities In Illinois For 2023

1. Carbondale

Carbondale, IL

Source: Wikipedia User Explorecdale | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 22,388
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $24,452 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 40.5% (highest)
People In Poverty: 9,056
More on Carbondale: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Carbondale, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Illinois thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.

The city of 22,388 people averages the lowest median household income in Illinois and the highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.

2. Cahokia

Cahokia, IL

Source: Wikipedia User Rklawton | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 12,440
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 2)
Median Income: $30,556 (3rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 35.4% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 4,399
More on Cahokia: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

The second poorest city in Illinois is Cahokia.

The city ranks as having the 2nd highest incidence of poverty and 3rd lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 20th highest in the Prairie State.

3. East St. Louis

East St. Louis, IL

Source: Wikipedia User FlickreviewR | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 19,437
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 1)
Median Income: $26,011 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 29.3% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 5,693
More on East St. Louis: Data | Crime

Placing as the third poorest city, East St. Louis’s median income ranks as the 2nd lowest.

And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 29.29178470254957% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.

But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Prairie State.

4. West Frankfort

West Frankfort, IL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 7,299
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 1)
Median Income: $37,328 (9th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 33.6% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 2,455
More on West Frankfort: Data | Cost Of Living

West Frankfort ranks as the fourth poorest place in Illinois.

The town ranks as having the 9th lowest median household income and the 3rd highest incidence of poverty in the state.

That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.

5. Harvey

Harvey, IL

Source: Wikipedia User davidwilson1949 | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 20,751
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 1)
Median Income: $35,572 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 28.5% (7th highest)
People In Poverty: 5,918
More on Harvey: Data | Cost Of Living

The fifth poorest city in Illinois is Harvey.

The city ranks as having the 6th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 7th highest in Illinois.

Still not the best news for Harvey.

6. Riverdale

Riverdale, IL

Source: Wikipedia User Zol87 from Chicago, Illinois, USA | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 10,909
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 6)
Median Income: $38,233 (11th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 30.1% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,286
More on Riverdale: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Riverdale ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Prairie State.

It ranks as having the 4th highest incidence of poverty and the highest unemployment rate.

7. Macomb

Macomb, IL

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 2.5
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 15,681
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 3)
Median Income: $33,588 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 26.7% (14th highest)
People In Poverty: 4,190
More on Macomb: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Macomb places as the seventh poorest city in Illinois.

The city of over 15,681 ranks as having the 14th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.

8. Urbana

Urbana, IL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 39,189
Rank Last Year: 8 (No Change)
Median Income: $37,701 (10th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 27.1% (11th highest)
People In Poverty: 10,611
More on Urbana: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Urbana ranks as the eighth poorest city in Illinois.

The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as the 103rd highest in the state.

9. Kankakee

Kankakee, IL

Source: Wikipedia User Chris Light | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 24,903
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 4)
Median Income: $38,869 (12th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 28.2% (9th highest)
People In Poverty: 7,031
More on Kankakee: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Kankakee couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Illinois; it ranks number 9.

While the median income is the 12th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Kankakee ranks as having the 9th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Illinois.

10. Pinckneyville

Pinckneyville, IL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 5,262
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 3)
Median Income: $33,614 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 25.5% (18th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,341
More on Pinckneyville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Illinois is Pinckneyville.

The city of 5,262 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Prairie State.

Methodology: How We Determined The Poorest Places In Illinois for 2023

The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.

However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “poorest places”. So we used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2017-2021 American Community Survey:

  • Poverty Level
  • Median Household Income

After we collected the data for all 332 places with more than 5,000 people in Illinois, we ranked each place from 1 to 332 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.

We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Poor Score” with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Carbondale, crowned the “Poorest Place In Illinois For 2023”.

This report has been updated for 2023, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in Illinois.

Summary: The Poorest Cities In Illinois For 2023

Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in Illinois, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Illinois.

When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.

If you’re curious enough, here are the richest cities in Illinois, according to data:

    Richest: Hawthorn Woods
    2nd Richest: Hinsdale
    3rd Richest: Long Grove

For more Illinois reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In Illinois

Rank City Population Poverty Rate Median Income People In Poverty
1 Carbondale 22,388 40.5% $24,452 9,056
2 Cahokia 12,440 35.4% $30,556 4,399
3 East St. Louis 19,437 29.3% $26,011 5,693
4 West Frankfort 7,299 33.6% $37,328 2,455
5 Harvey 20,751 28.5% $35,572 5,918
6 Riverdale 10,909 30.1% $38,233 3,286
7 Macomb 15,681 26.7% $33,588 4,190
8 Urbana 39,189 27.1% $37,701 10,611
9 Kankakee 24,903 28.2% $38,869 7,031
10 Pinckneyville 5,262 25.5% $33,614 1,341
11 Danville 29,534 28.5% $39,230 8,403
12 Hoopeston 5,210 29.3% $43,330 1,526
13 Centralia 12,061 23.8% $40,979 2,866
14 Harrisburg 8,375 21.4% $36,701 1,794
15 Du Quoin 5,842 26.8% $44,286 1,562
16 Charleston 18,130 26.7% $44,371 4,843
17 DeKalb 41,083 26.8% $45,591 11,012
18 Mattoon 16,982 22.5% $41,320 3,814
19 Vandalia 6,459 20.5% $36,064 1,323
20 Streator 12,135 22.1% $43,053 2,681
21 Alton 25,902 24.4% $45,225 6,308
22 Carlinville 5,719 26.6% $46,147 1,521
23 Kewanee 12,485 20.9% $41,452 2,608
24 Rock Falls 8,807 23.5% $45,780 2,072
25 Galesburg 30,298 19.8% $39,115 5,995
26 Markham 11,733 21.0% $43,835 2,458
27 Freeport 24,087 20.3% $41,831 4,890
28 Sauk Village 9,981 27.6% $48,877 2,750
29 Mount Vernon 14,614 21.0% $44,373 3,072
30 Murphysboro 7,270 17.9% $38,949 1,301
31 Rockford 148,942 22.0% $47,002 32,708
32 Rantoul 12,766 19.3% $44,130 2,462
33 Greenville 6,676 20.7% $45,961 1,382
34 Decatur 71,309 19.7% $45,111 14,046
35 LaSalle 9,607 22.7% $48,848 2,184
36 North Chicago 30,619 21.4% $47,884 6,547
37 Mount Carmel 6,937 16.8% $41,177 1,162
38 Rock Island 37,519 21.7% $50,965 8,135
39 Benton 7,101 18.0% $46,530 1,278
40 Champaign 88,343 23.5% $52,687 20,767
41 Marion 16,960 17.5% $46,515 2,961
42 Beardstown 5,839 18.8% $49,643 1,094
43 Calumet City 36,065 21.5% $52,994 7,766
44 Salem 7,269 20.7% $51,559 1,501
45 Pontoon Beach 6,153 18.5% $49,672 1,136
46 Carmi 5,012 17.6% $47,128 880
47 Jacksonville 18,114 17.9% $47,926 3,242
48 Canton 13,701 17.3% $47,682 2,374
49 Chicago Heights 27,840 22.8% $54,870 6,347
50 East Alton 5,887 16.7% $47,089 985
51 Taylorville 11,163 14.3% $43,197 1,599
52 Clinton 7,016 16.9% $48,619 1,182
53 Justice 12,625 23.6% $57,045 2,979
54 Litchfield 6,960 17.6% $50,069 1,225
55 Dolton 21,588 19.6% $53,047 4,225
56 Metropolis 6,032 14.7% $45,833 888
57 Peoria 113,672 19.7% $53,568 22,416
58 Blue Island 22,934 18.3% $51,989 4,197
59 Sterling 14,919 15.2% $47,778 2,264
60 Normal 53,446 25.6% $58,564 13,684
61 Dixon 15,855 16.8% $50,491 2,667
62 Paris 8,553 14.1% $44,939 1,204
63 Granite City 27,336 18.0% $53,757 4,925
64 Chicago Ridge 14,413 20.1% $56,494 2,895
65 Hazel Crest 13,727 18.0% $54,353 2,474
66 Herrin 12,398 14.1% $46,879 1,746
67 Chester 7,787 19.3% $56,368 1,499
68 Pontiac 11,766 14.7% $50,000 1,728
69 Pekin 32,398 15.0% $50,838 4,873
70 Springfield 114,672 18.5% $57,596 21,158
71 Effingham 12,218 17.7% $56,242 2,162
72 Worth 10,909 16.0% $54,071 1,750
73 Olney 8,996 17.2% $55,434 1,543
74 Summit 11,098 13.8% $48,929 1,531
75 Quincy 39,687 14.4% $50,857 5,714
76 Monmouth 8,810 15.7% $54,400 1,380
77 Lincoln 13,217 14.1% $51,915 1,867
78 Peoria Heights 5,940 14.1% $51,826 837
79 Calumet Park 7,167 14.1% $52,696 1,012
80 Chillicothe 6,272 14.6% $54,297 912
81 Wood River 10,325 16.4% $58,065 1,695
82 Belleville 42,463 14.7% $56,404 6,238
83 Princeton 7,750 13.4% $53,492 1,038
84 Pana 5,304 11.7% $50,833 620
85 Steger 9,568 13.1% $53,427 1,254
86 Bridgeview 16,883 14.9% $58,371 2,523
87 Belvidere 25,179 14.4% $57,507 3,626
88 East Moline 21,181 14.0% $55,529 2,973
89 Park Forest 21,368 15.0% $58,657 3,214
90 Park City 7,876 13.4% $54,291 1,054
91 Zion 24,660 14.9% $58,431 3,682
92 Waukegan 89,751 15.1% $58,844 13,532
93 Robinson 7,264 10.9% $49,852 793
94 Moline 42,660 15.1% $59,697 6,453
95 Spring Valley 5,551 12.8% $54,191 712
96 Marengo 7,466 17.8% $65,136 1,325
97 Maywood 23,547 14.7% $58,764 3,464
98 Ottawa 18,719 15.6% $61,083 2,912
99 Milan 5,096 13.1% $54,691 666
100 Eureka 5,569 10.3% $48,902 574
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

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