Effingham, Illinois
2026 Edition · 10 cards · data as of Oct 30, 2026
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Population
Steady. Within 1% of 2020, every year since.
12,406
people, the 194th-largest of Illinois's cities and towns.
Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Illinois's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates
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The workday
8 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.
83.7%
of 16,834 jobs located in Effingham are filled by in-commuters.
Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES
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Rent
Median rent is up 39% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.
$725
a month. Illinois's median is $1,274.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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The seam
Cross one tract line and median rent jumps $254.
A $254 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Effingham County.
- $570 Tract 9504
- $824 Tract 9502
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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Room to build
Local wages can carry more rent than the median charged today.
$959–$1,438
is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.
- $725 median
Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year
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Building
Most of the housing here is older than 2000.
- 153 homes permitted, 2022–2025
- 52% of those were in multifamily buildings
- 86% of all homes were built before 2000
Census Building Permits Survey, 2022–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year
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Units needed
Closing the gap would add 0.3–2.9% to the 5,892 homes here.
17–168
is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.
Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac
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Home value
A median home costs 33% less than Illinois's.
$177,500
median home value in Effingham.
- $177,500 Effingham
- $263,300 Illinois
- $332,700 U.S.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year