Fayette County, Illinois
Population 21,315 · Vandalia, St. Elmo, Ramsey
- Overall cost of living: −12.6% vs the US average, lower than 62% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- Severe drought: 1.4% of weeks, lower than 92% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−12.6% | lower than 62% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of Illinois outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $130,700 | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Median rent | $798 | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $157/mo | lower than 68% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $6,500/yr | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 1.45% | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6.25% | higher than 66% of US counties |
| State income tax | 4.95% | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $1,894 | higher than 60% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $60,944 | lower than 63% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4.9% | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -7.3% | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 212.3 | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈207 days | lower than 58% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 87°F | lower than 50% of US counties |
| January low | 21°F | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | ≈16 in | higher than 54% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Beecher City, IL, 19 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Hot days (90°F+) | 31 days | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 108 days | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 1.4% of weeks | lower than 92% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈66.1°F | higher than 67% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 43.5 in | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $153/yr | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $100/yr | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0.3/yr | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $31/yr | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $11/yr | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.07/yr | lower than 74% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 9 µg/m³ | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 196.3 mi | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈196.9 ft | lower than 86% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 87.3% | lower than 69% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 17.2% | lower than 76% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 5.1% | lower than 81% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 1 | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 12.4:1 | lower than 71% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 87% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 7.33 | lower than 67% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.86 | higher than 53% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.91 | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 1.4 | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 19/100k | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 4 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 3★ | lower than 48% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 76.8 yrs | higher than 63% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 7.4% | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 95/100k | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 47/100k | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 44.3% | lower than 79% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 78 min | higher than 78% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 106 min | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 26 min | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 83.9% | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.3% | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 7.1% | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 99 min | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 18 per sq mi | lower than 56% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 1.4 per 1k | lower than 65% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 7.4 per 1k | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Population | 21,315 | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Median age | 41.9 | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -3.8 per 1k/yr | lower than 80% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 17% Dem | lower than 84% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 81.7% Rep | higher than 83% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.3% | higher than 49% of US counties |
| % White | 88.3% | higher than 69% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 3% | lower than 70% of US counties |
| % Black | 3.2% | higher than 57% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.2% | lower than 77% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.3% | higher than 64% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.1% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| % Two or more races | 5% | higher than 81% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0% | the lowest in the US |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 22 parks | lower than 66% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 17.8 | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 3.3 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 98 min | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 1.2% | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 10 | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 14 | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 50 km | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 2 km | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 15 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 59 | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 39 | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 40 | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | the lowest in the US |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data