Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety33#623/924
Economy33#624/925
Housing71#272/925
Health27#671/925
Healthcare46#495/923
Environment6#858/917
Education25#691/925
Infrastructure38#574/925
Community58#392/925
Leisure & amenities70#282/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Centralia, IL micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Home price to income ratio · low1.7×
100/100Illinois 3.2×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Social associations · high21.0 /10k
100/100Illinois 9.8 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Gyms and fitness centers · high1.9 /10k
95/100Illinois 1.1 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Distance to an emergency room · low3.9 mi
93/100Illinois 4.0 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAggregated from counties
Distance to an Amtrak station · low9 mi
87/100Illinois 13 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Public EV charging ports · high10.4 /10k
86/100Illinois 4.8 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Grocery stores · low0.3 /10k
0/100Illinois 1.9 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
New homes permitted · low0.0 /1k
2/100Illinois 1.5 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Effective property tax rate · high1.54%
8/100Illinois 1.88%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Preventable hospital stays · high4,028 /100k
9/100Illinois 3,343 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Dentists · low33 /100k
9/100Illinois 86 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Bachelor's degree or higher · low16.8%
9/100Illinois 37.8%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 36% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+36 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
New homes permittedWorsening
0.2 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−87%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
New business applicationsImproving
4.8 /1k (2020) → 8.3 /1k (2025)
+72%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Grocery storesWorsening
0.8 /10k (2020) → 0.3 /10k (2025)
−65%5 yearsUS 1.7 /10k → 1.7 /10k
Property crime rateImproving
2,940 /100k (2019) → 1,321 /100k (2024)
−55%5 yearsUS 2,082 /100k → 1,761 /100k
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
56.1% (2010 & 2021) → 66.5% (2022 & 2024)
+10 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Centralia, IL micropolitan area improved on 13 of 30 measures with a comparison and declined on 3. 9 moved within the margin of error and 5 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved13

Suicides−35%29.2 /100k → 18.9 /100k
Child poverty−9.1 points28.6% → 19.5%
Traffic deaths−26%22.8 /100k → 16.8 /100k
Overdose deaths−66%37.2 /100k → 12.7 /100k
Unemployment−4.4 points9.2% → 4.8%

Declined3

Grocery stores−65%0.8 /10k → 0.3 /10k
Firearm deaths+14%11.8 /100k → 13.4 /100k
Pharmacies−9.4%2.1 /10k → 1.9 /10k

All 30 measures

Change of every measure of Centralia, IL micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.7 /10k2020	4.4 /10k2025	+18%	Improved	71%
Average commute time	19.8 min2015-2019	21.1 min2020-2024	+1.3 min	Within the margin of error	24%
Average weekly wage	$7882020	$9922025	+26%	Improved	72%
Bachelor's degree or higher	15.2%2015-2019	16.8%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Within the margin of error	24%
Broadband subscriptions	78.2%2015-2019	86.0%2020-2024	+7.7 points	Improved	34%
Child poverty rate	28.6%2015-2019	19.5%2020-2024	−9.1 points	Improved	93%
Distance to an airport	74 mi2020	74 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	37.2 /100k2020	12.7 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−66%	Improved	95%
Effective property tax rate	1.74%2015-2019	1.54%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	73%
Firearm deaths	11.8 /100k2020	13.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+14%	Declined	30%
Grocery stores	0.8 /10k2020	0.3 /10k2025	−65%	Declined	0%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.6 /10k2020	1.9 /10k2025	+21%	Improved	71%
High school diploma or higher	89.0%2015-2019	90.7%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Home price to income ratio	1.6×2015-2019	1.7×2020-2024	+0.0×	Within the margin of error	94%
Homicide rate	3.8 /100k2020	3.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+2.6%	Little change	20%
Income adjusted for local prices	$47,5162019	$64,1342024	+35%	Improved	72%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4312015-2019	0.4352020-2024	+0.003	Within the margin of error	44%
Median household income	$47,5192015-2019	$61,2402020-2024	+29%	Improved	60%
New business applications	4.8 /1k2020	8.3 /1k2025	+72%	Improved	81%
Pharmacies	2.1 /10k2020	1.9 /10k2025	−9.4%	Declined	48%
Poverty rate	17.7%2015-2019	15.4%2020-2024	−2.4 points	Within the margin of error	79%
Public libraries	1.1 /10k2019	1.1 /10k2024	+2.2%	Little change	77%
Rent as share of income	27.6%2015-2019	27.1%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	68%
Rent-burdened households	44.9%2015-2019	42.6%2020-2024	−2.3 points	Within the margin of error	76%
Restaurants and bars	11.7 /10k2020	11.5 /10k2025	−1.2%	Little change	40%
Suicide rate	29.2 /100k2020	18.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−35%	Improved	95%
Traffic deaths	22.8 /100k2015-2019	16.8 /100k2020-2024	−26%	Improved	92%
Unemployment rate	9.2%2020	4.8%2025	−4.4 points	Improved	86%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.0%2015-2019	7.8%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Violent crime rate	510 /100k2020	417 /100k2025	−18%	Improved	53%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Centralia, IL micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Centralia, IL micropolitan area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Centralia, IL micropolitan area itself moved +4.7 points in standing on average over the same 29 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

37,000 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

15,512 households (±253)

Centralia, IL micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k19%2,998
$25k–50k21%3,304
$50k–75k19%3,008

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

15,512 households (±253)

Centralia, IL micropolitan area
United States share

Own75%11,580
Rent25%3,932

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

16,139 workers (±498)

Centralia, IL micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone83%13,387
Carpool9.8%1,585
Public transit0.2%†27

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes no occupation wages for Centralia, IL micropolitan area.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Centralia, IL has 863 employer establishments, 235 for every 10,000 residents (0.95× the US rate of 248), with 11,370 paid employees at an average annual pay of $48,787. The Census Bureau also counts 2,060 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 863; 2,060 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 235; US 248
Paid employees: 11,370
Average annual pay: $48,787; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Centralia, IL by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	61	16.6	0.80×Fewer than typical	546	$57,938	51
Restaurants and other eating places	60	16.4	0.89×About typical	915	$19,199	6
Religious organizations	56	15.3	2.75×More than typical	259	$20,089	—
Specialty trade contractors	41	11.2	0.72×Fewer than typical	186	$66,640	156
Automotive repair and maintenance	31	8.5	1.68×More than typical	78	$49,321	36
Insurance agencies and brokerages	27	7.4	1.68×More than typical	81	$56,901	47
Full-service restaurants	26	7.1	0.92×About typical	318	$19,142	—
Limited-service restaurants	25	6.8	0.85×About typical	540	$19,702	—
Truck transportation	23	6.3	1.24×About typical	334	$72,638	49
Construction of buildings	20	5.5	0.72×Fewer than typical	87	$64,276	70
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	19	5.2	4.27×More than typical	109	$16,018	3
Offices of other health practitioners	19	5.2	0.85×About typical	93	$37,828	20

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 36,660 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $147.9K on contracts performed in Centralia, IL micropolitan area: $4.06 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $147.9K
Per resident: $4.06; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services$147.9K100%

Top recipients

MARVIN R JENKINS & ASSOCIATES INC$147.9K100%
HALFF ASSOCIATES, INC.$00.0%

Spending by fiscal year

264.4KFY2017
7.6KFY2018
-43.9KFY2019
975FY2020
3.8KFY2021
442.6KFY2022
37.3KFY2023
7.8MFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$147.9K100%

Largest awards

SANDOVAL ZINC REMEDIAL DESIGN$7.8M
HALFF ASSOCIATES, INC.· Marion County, IL· Construction & real property· Aug 22, 2024 – Feb 27, 2026· W912P924F0038
NRCS EASEMENT PROGRAMS REESTABLISHMENT OF AN EXISTING EASEMENT BOUNDARY MUST BE THROUGH A LEGAL SURVEY CONDUCTED BY A PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR, LICENSED OR REGISTERED IN THE STATE. THE WORK WILL CONSIST OF PERFORMING ALL SURVEYS, MEASUREMENTS, COMP$147.9K
MARVIN R JENKINS & ASSOCIATES INC· Marion County, IL· Professional services· Mar 16, 2026 – Mar 16, 2026· 12FPC126F0026

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $263.2M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Centralia, IL micropolitan area: $7,233 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $263.2M; −8% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,233; US $12,955
Loan face value: $5.4M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 1.7%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$149.2M57%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$24.5M9.3%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$23.8M9.0%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$19.9M7.6%
57.001 · Social Insurance for Railroad Workers$14.2M5.4%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$8.3M3.1%
93.600 · Head Start$5.1M1.9%
20.284 · Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (Protect)$2.8M1.1%

Top recipients (organizations)

BCMW COMMUNITY SERVICES INC$5.1M1.9%
CENTRALIA, IL
HOUSING AUTH OF COUNTY OF MARION$4.7M1.8%
CENTRALIA, IL
ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$4M1.5%
SPRINGFIELD, IL
CENTRALIA VILLAGE LLC$127.8K0.0%
MARION, IL
GLENWOOD ACRES II$115.3K

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$201.9M77%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$27.3M10%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Railroad Retirement Board$14.2M5.4%
Administration for Children and Families$5.1M1.9%
Department of Health and Human Services
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing

Assistance by fiscal year

242.4MFY2021
301.2MFY2022
253.4MFY2023
263.9MFY2024
286MFY2025
263.2MFY2026

County aggregates

93%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Centralia, IL

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Marion CountyCentral county4236,382

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

CentraliaPrincipal city11,856

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Illinois

Areas based in Illinois, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M16460

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved13

Declined3

Metro and micro areas like Centralia, IL micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Centralia, IL

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Illinois

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved13

Declined3

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought