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Cost of living, pay and housing

39.98° N · 89.86° W · GEOID 1741404

Lake Petersburg

Menard County, Illinois · part of the Springfield, IL metro

Limited data population under 5,000, core figures borrowed from county or metro: median_gross_rent

IllinoisLake Petersburg, ILLake PetersburgLake Petersburg

The short answer

Lake Petersburg is home to 928 people. Median household income is $144,375 a year and median rent is $885 a month, 7.4% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $338,700, about 2.4x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$885
35% below the median place
Median household income
$144,375
80% above the median place
Median home value
$338,700
6% above the median place
Unemployment
0.0%
below the median place (median 4.9%)

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Lake Petersburg

  • The median rent takes only 7.4% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 335 Illinois places.
  • Unemployment averaged 0.0% over the survey period, lower than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 271 Illinois places.
  • Household income has grown 14.1% a year across the last five survey releases, faster than in 98% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 335 Illinois places.
  • The median resident is 60.8 years old, older than in 98% of places its size. It is the highest of 335 Illinois places.
  • 97% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 98% of places its size.
01

Moving to Lake Petersburg

Menard County gains about 11.5 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in566
Moved out443
Net+123

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Illinois, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within IllinoisOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$59K
Leavers$53K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Menard County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
4.7% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.1% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Menard County report $58,700 a year in income on average; those leaving, $53,500, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$35,400 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $885 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,884 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $338,700.
Getting to work
33 minutes each way on average; 18.9% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Corrales, NM matches it on character. Compare the two
Net movers per 1,000 people7
11.5
above the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving out7
$53,468
24% below the median place
Moved from another state1
1.1%
44% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureLake PetersburgAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure4.7%18% below
Moved from another state1Metro figure1.1%44% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure11.5above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$58,70617% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$53,46824% below
02

What it costs to live here

Rent to income is 7.4%, 64% below the median place.

Lake Petersburg7.4%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$35,400
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
7.4%
64% below the median place
Home price to income
2.4x
38% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
7%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$137,400
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Lake Petersburg, $885 a month, and local prices for everything else (97.1 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Lake Petersburg.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Lake Petersburg? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Homeownership1
97.1%
46% above the median place
Property tax rate1
1.6%
81% above the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$5,582
71% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureLake PetersburgAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1County figure$88535% below
Rent to income17.4%64% below
Property tax rate11.6%81% above
Home price to income12.4x38% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure92.88% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,23723% below
HUD area median income4County figure$114,9007% above
Property tax paid (median)1$5,58271% above
Median home value1$338,7006% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure8.4%165% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure39.8%23% below
Homeownership197.1%46% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure54.9%9% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,8841% above
Vacant homes1County figure6.6%6% below
Median year built119770% below
03

Work and pay

Unemployment is 0.0%, below the median place (median 4.9%).

Unemployment1
0.0%
below the median place (median 4.9%)
Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Income per person1
$70,819
77% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Median household income$144,375 +80%
Mean commute33 min +34%
Works from home18.9% +51%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureLake PetersburgAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$144,37580% above
Income per person1$70,81977% above
Unemployment10.0%below (median 4.9%)
Average annual pay6County figure$42,97735% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure1.7%54% below
Jobs6County figure1,85899% below
Poverty rate1County figure10.1%6% below
Mean commute133 min34% above
Works from home118.9%51% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

No health insurance is 0.0%, below the median place (median 6.4%).

No health insurance1
0.0%
below the median place (median 6.4%)
High school or higher1
100.0%
8% above the median place
Homes with broadband1
100.0%
8% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Median age60.8 +56%
Household size2.2 −12%
Bachelor's or higher48.2% +50%
All 8 people measures
MeasureLake PetersburgAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population19286646th largest
Median age160.856% above
Bachelor's or higher148.2%50% above
High school or higher1100.0%8% above
Household size12.212% below
Born abroad1County figure0.9%90% below
No health insurance10.0%below (median 6.4%)
Homes with broadband1100.0%8% above
05

Life in Lake Petersburg

6 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars14.9 −28%
Shops19.0 −37%
Arts, recreation and fitness5.8 +41%
Doctors' offices and clinics5.8 −71%
Child care centers2.5 +9%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8
5.8
71% below the median place
Shops per 10k8
19.0
37% below the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k8
14.9
28% below the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureLake PetersburgAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10County figure722% below
Public school students10County figure1,70165% below
Students per teacher10County figure12.519% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure14.928% below
Shops per 10k8County figure19.037% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure5.841% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure5.871% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.59% above
National Register listings9County figure654% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Wildfire risk is 3.6, 94% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Lake Petersburg. Larger places are fetched first.

Wildfire risk12
3.6
94% below the median place
Natural hazard risk12
28.7
69% below the median place
Hurricane risk12
16.5
77% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureLake PetersburgAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure86°F1% below
January average low11County figure19°F26% below
Average temperature11County figure53°F4% below
Annual precipitation11County figure38.2 in13% below
Natural hazard risk12County figure28.769% below
Hurricane risk12County figure16.577% below
Tornado risk12County figure53.235% below
Wildfire risk12County figure3.694% below
Heat wave risk12County figure60.033% below
Median air quality index13Metro figure415% below
Good air days13Metro figure70.1%2% above
08

Lake Petersburg in 2030: where the trends point

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median household income$144,375 (2024)$189,500$160,000 to $224,000+4.6%
Median home value$338,700 (2024)$473,000$343,000 to $651,000+5.7%

The median home would be worth 2.5 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.3 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Lake Petersburg

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Corrales, NM$1,143$102,307Compare
Tanque Verde, AZ$1,347$121,599Compare
Fernandina Beach, FL$1,259$97,903Compare
Chesterland, OH$839$107,898Compare
Chesterland, OHFernandina Beach, FLTanque Verde, AZCorrales, NMLake Petersburg, ILLake PetersburgCorralesTanque VerdeFernandina BeachChesterlandLake PetersburgCorralesTanque VerdeFernandina BeachChesterland

Common questions

Is Lake Petersburg a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. The median rent takes only 7.4% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 335 Illinois places. Unemployment averaged 0.0% over the survey period, lower than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 271 Illinois places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Lake Petersburg expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 7.4% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $338,700.

What salary do you need to live in Lake Petersburg?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $35,400 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Lake Petersburg?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Corrales, NM, Tanque Verde, AZ, Fernandina Beach, FL and Chesterland, OH.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  13. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Lake Petersburg with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Lake Petersburg itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/lake-petersburg-illinois

Citytistics. “Lake Petersburg, Illinois.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/lake-petersburg-illinois/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.