The 10 Worst Small Towns In Illinois For 2024


The worst small towns in Illinois are Cairo and Madison for 2024 based on Friday Night Science.

Most Americans have never been to small town Illinois. However, as the Illinoisan who live there know, small town Illinois is an awesome place to call home.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Illinois has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using Saturday Night Science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Prairie State. Don’t freak out, we will use data to show which places have high crime, poverty, and unemployment.

After analyzing more than 364 of Illinois’s smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Illinois where you’d never want to live:


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


These are the worst small towns in Illinois for 2024:

  1. Cairo
  2. Madison
  3. Venice
  4. Ina
  5. Washington Park
  6. Ford Heights
  7. Sheldon
  8. Grayville
  9. Fairmont City
  10. Sumner

Worst Small Towns To Live In Illinois Map

So what is the worst small town to call home in Illinois for 2024? According to the most recent census data, Cairo is the worst small town to live in Illinois.

While many of these small towns have seen better days, they have wonderful communities and people. This report in no way means to knock the folks that call towns like Cairo home. Everyone

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.

And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in Illinois or the worst places to live in Illinois.

If you’re looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.

The 10 Worst Small Towns In Illinois For 2024

1. Cairo

Cairo, IL

Source: Wikipedia User Jonathunder | GFDL 1.2
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,510
Median Home Value: $21,976
Median Income: $31,429
Unemployment Rate: 16.2%

2. Madison

Madison, IL

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,677
Median Home Value: $43,022
Median Income: $41,429
Unemployment Rate: 11.8%

3. Venice

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,762
Median Home Value: $29,873
Median Income: $34,414
Unemployment Rate: 18.5%

4. Ina

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 1,754
Median Home Value: $81,484
Median Income: $48,125
Unemployment Rate: 11.6%

5. Washington Park

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,661
Median Home Value: $33,140
Median Income: $33,036
Unemployment Rate: 15.9%

6. Ford Heights

Ford Heights, IL

Source: Wikipedia User User:Aneekr | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,618
Median Home Value: $82,548
Median Income: $43,086
Unemployment Rate: 11.2%

7. Sheldon

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,320
Median Home Value: $64,423
Median Income: $42,708
Unemployment Rate: 16.0%

8. Grayville

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,542
Median Home Value: $66,430
Median Income: $53,977
Unemployment Rate: 5.4%

9. Fairmont City

Source: Public Domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,125
Median Home Value: $67,895
Median Income: $42,417
Unemployment Rate: 1.2%

10. Sumner

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,411
Median Home Value: $74,809
Median Income: $44,167
Unemployment Rate: 15.8%

Methodology: How do you decide if a small place in Illinois is lousy or not?

To rank the worst small towns to live in Illinois, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. Assuming that people like low crime, solid education, things to do, and a stable economy isn’t a stretch.

We then analyzed the criteria using Saturday Night Science, the thinking you’d use at a bar. It seems like even your crazy Uncle would agree that a town with high crime is worse than a town with low crime; all else the same.

Using FBI crime data and the Census’s 2018-2022 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:

  • Population Density (The lower, the worse)
  • Highest Unemployment Rates
  • Low housing costs (meaning there’s no demand)
  • Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
  • Education (Number of high school dropouts)
  • High Crime

We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which there were many – 364 to be exact.

We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets them from the cities. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.

We base all our research on facts, which is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2024, which is our tenth time ranking the worst small places to live in Illinois.

There You Have It – The Worst Small Towns In Illinois

If you’re analyzing teeny places in the Prairie State with the worst economic situations, where there’s high crime and there’s not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.

The worst small towns in Illinois are Cairo, Madison, Venice, Ina, Washington Park, Ford Heights, Sheldon, Grayville, Fairmont City, and Sumner.

If you’re curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Illinois, according to science:

  1. Leland Grove (Pop. 1,478)
  2. Kenilworth (Pop. 2,537)
  3. Prestbury (Pop. 2,100)

For more Illinois reading, check out:

Worst Small Towns In Illinois

Rank Town Population Unemployment Rate Home Value Median Income
1 Cairo 1,510 16.2% $21,976 $31,429
2 Madison 2,677 11.8% $43,022 $41,429
3 Venice 1,762 18.5% $29,873 $34,414
4 Ina 1,754 11.6% $81,484 $48,125
5 Washington Park 2,661 15.9% $33,140 $33,036
6 Ford Heights 1,618 11.2% $82,548 $43,086
7 Sheldon 1,320 16.0% $64,423 $42,708
8 Grayville 1,542 5.4% $66,430 $53,977
9 Fairmont City 2,125 1.2% $67,895 $42,417
10 Sumner 2,411 15.8% $74,809 $44,167
11 Hoopeston 4,940 11.3% $67,370 $46,973
12 Louisville 1,183 6.9% $107,305 $39,517
13 Carbon Cliff 2,012 8.1% $113,213 $50,208
14 Phoenix 1,278 20.5% $90,474 $24,491
15 Robbins 4,804 14.7% $88,239 $47,174
16 Bridgeport 2,030 9.1% $57,307 $47,778
17 Zeigler 1,503 8.6% $49,170 $41,518
18 Anna 4,259 8.3% $119,937 $36,786
19 Martinsville 1,373 5.6% $97,768 $53,875
20 De Pue 1,640 4.3% $63,563 $66,042
21 Albion 2,136 11.8% $88,880 $55,848
22 Hartford 1,626 6.6% $74,085 $42,591
23 St. Elmo 1,404 7.6% $105,546 $46,250
24 Cobden 1,023 6.1% $165,173 $38,929
25 Lewistown 1,938 15.5% $95,671 $46,875
26 Lawrenceville 4,210 6.9% $59,521 $42,213
27 Marissa 1,200 16.8% $102,632 $48,644
28 Christopher 2,507 7.4% $54,348 $42,650
29 Onarga 1,288 10.0% $118,203 $57,188
30 Percy 1,076 1.7% $82,646 $40,556
31 Barry 1,531 5.0% $68,660 $59,922
32 Carrier Mills 1,759 8.4% $59,491 $49,922
33 Loami 1,035 3.3% $182,676 $50,000
34 Norris City 1,352 11.1% $99,508 $38,558
35 South Roxana 2,121 8.2% $85,086 $59,097
36 Cambria 1,231 5.5% $151,267 $46,894
37 Minonk 1,966 7.9% $121,358 $57,169
38 Tilton 2,694 5.7% $66,172 $51,364
39 De Soto 1,684 7.8% $99,302 $53,188
40 Savanna 2,783 6.1% $77,949 $45,474
41 Casey 2,294 6.2% $100,989 $46,296
42 Shawneetown 1,183 6.2% $75,159 $40,231
43 Wenona 1,047 4.3% $101,137 $38,382
44 Rockdale 2,446 8.2% $185,068 $49,246
45 Preston Heights 2,586 8.3% $147,050 $47,656
46 Griggsville 1,283 2.2% $90,915 $42,642
47 Toulon 1,368 3.0% $89,233 $51,705
48 Sparta 4,107 6.2% $105,469 $60,407
49 Sesser 1,909 9.5% $97,149 $49,681
50 Lovington 1,093 6.9% $113,368 $52,566
51 Chatsworth 1,296 5.7% $73,631 $56,830
52 Havana 3,242 6.7% $80,214 $52,917
53 Warsaw 1,538 13.6% $106,427 $56,321
54 Dixmoor 3,017 5.5% $104,726 $57,823
55 Flora 4,701 6.8% $85,298 $50,407
56 Gibson City 3,615 6.1% $149,240 $51,275
57 White Hall 2,176 3.3% $63,991 $46,250
58 Bellevue 2,300 6.9% $85,431 $58,495
59 Eldorado 3,797 1.3% $57,886 $35,799
60 Mcleansboro 2,794 1.2% $78,554 $44,871
61 Central City 1,154 3.2% $44,987 $39,688
62 Fairmont 2,595 9.6% $155,824 $61,103
63 East Hazel Crest 1,341 15.0% $165,665 $53,346
64 Roodhouse 1,636 9.8% $61,123 $49,911
65 Vienna 2,319 2.4% $148,302 $47,000
66 Caseyville 3,893 4.3% $97,708 $55,871
67 Burnham 4,028 12.3% $145,568 $53,397
68 Girard 1,492 10.8% $129,162 $43,750
69 Fairfield 4,773 3.6% $94,031 $43,681
70 Benld 1,531 5.2% $61,353 $52,738
71 Johnston City 3,377 5.4% $83,194 $51,429
72 Oblong 1,460 6.1% $105,993 $53,611
73 Toluca 1,246 5.6% $86,066 $51,979
74 Royalton 1,067 0.0% $67,904 $44,313
75 Abingdon 3,399 7.6% $71,414 $55,313
76 Jonesboro 1,817 5.0% $120,376 $52,604
77 Steeleville 1,757 6.1% $136,139 $51,154
78 Roxana 1,570 3.0% $99,327 $61,528
79 South Chicago Heights 3,986 4.2% $154,159 $52,115
80 Atkinson 1,067 8.3% $159,109 $51,593
81 Rushville 2,610 8.4% $130,239 $49,719
82 Gillespie 3,193 5.1% $84,534 $60,924
83 Greenfield 1,297 3.6% $93,807 $66,985
84 Earlville 1,838 7.1% $192,896 $59,028
85 Arthur 1,992 5.9% $149,911 $50,192
86 Dupo 3,960 5.8% $114,436 $61,736
87 Watseka 4,361 3.9% $79,961 $41,774
88 Wyoming 1,583 4.4% $96,348 $55,804
89 Milford 1,246 3.5% $85,441 $48,162
90 Astoria 1,126 4.7% $75,822 $48,365
91 Galva 2,473 3.2% $83,567 $53,487
92 Pittsfield 4,152 8.3% $105,327 $47,950
93 Sheridan 2,694 6.4% $268,265 $71,667
94 Thomson 1,284 4.7% $137,970 $67,500
95 Newton 2,957 5.1% $136,614 $55,109
96 Farmer City 1,861 6.0% $133,568 $65,000
97 Ingalls Park 3,102 9.3% $142,518 $53,257
98 Gilman 1,530 5.6% $124,867 $64,583
99 Stockton 1,610 4.4% $130,074 $50,366
100 Ladd 1,314 6.6% $119,049 $62,500
About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.

9 thoughts on “The 10 Worst Small Towns In Illinois For 2024

  1. See how many empty homes you can find in Grand Tower today(good luck- extremely few); it is a very tight-knit community where we go above and beyond to help our neighbors. It is beautiful, the people are great, and while we may not be wealthy, we have it a dozen times better than anyone living in a bigger town.

  2. Bud Tappan, your opinion is bs. You don’t know anything about what your talking about. Sure every town has their drunks , unemployed, and dropouts. But you took this to the next level with your disrespect. I know personally 6 of these towns on your list of 10 and they are great places and I was born and raised in one further down on your list. I’m guessing that you either live in Chicago or some other miserable city. These towns you call horrible places, are really quiet farm towns, that provide crops on a major scale for this state and country. We don’t get large grants every year or every decade. So yeah there are no jobs. But Chicago sure does they get all the handouts.
    Take your opinion and shove it up your ass city bitch.

  3. I bet you guys think everything south of Chicago is crap because it’s not glamorous. Everyone in Illinois knows Chicago is a FAR different place from downstate, or anywhere outside of Cook County for that matter. I live in Chicagoland and I’d hazard a guess Chicago has more drug dealers, prostitutes, and criminals than any one of these communities. Maybe if you knew the people of the communities you write arbitrarily about you’d think about what you write.

    Oh, and “opinions based on data”? That’s a load of steaming bull.

  4. I am proud of the little town of Gorham, from which I graduated from High School. I have shown many people where I came from, on google maps. A lot of people I have had the privilege of meeting over the years told me how lucky I was to grow up in a farming community. The area landscape is one of the most beautiful I have seen. Neighbors were not close by but they were awesome people, and they treated my Grandparents with respect and love. I have lived within City limits, but I would take the Country Road any day.

  5. I don’t live in any of these towns/villages/burgs, but have been to most of them…and EVERYONE of them would be 10 times better to live in than ANYWHERE in Crook, oops, Cook county!!!!

  6. I personally consider low population density to be a major positive. This usually means larger lots and fewer people around! Most of these are actually rather nice places to live, and those low property values mean a normal person can actually own a nice home and still afford to eat. I myself live in a slightly larger small town and love it. By the way, there is no such place as Old Shawne. I assume you mean Old Shawneetown, one of the oldest communities in the state which has the unfortunate habit of flooding occasionally, which is why they established a new Shawneetown a couple of miles west on higher ground.

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