CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

39.81° N · 88.85° W · GEOID 1744498

Long Creek

Macon County, Illinois · part of the Decatur, IL metro

Limited data population under 5,000

IllinoisLong Creek, ILLong CreekLong Creek

The short answer

Long Creek is home to 1,392 people. Median household income is $78,519 a year and median rent is $850 a month, 13.0% 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 $167,500, about 2.1x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$850
38% below the median place
Median household income
$78,519
2% below the median place
Median home value
$167,500
48% below the median place
Unemployment
6.8%
38% above the median place

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 Long Creek

  • Household income has grown -1.5% a year across the last five survey releases, slower than in 97% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 335 Illinois places.
  • The median rent takes only 13.0% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 92% of places its size.
  • The median home is worth 2.1 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 92% of places its size.
  • 91% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 91% of places its size.
  • The population has fallen 3.7% since 2020, a steeper drop than in 90% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 83 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to Long Creek

Macon County loses about 6.0 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in2,935
Moved out3,417
Net−482

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Cook County, IL109118−9
Shelby County, IL114101+13
Moultrie County, IL9399−6

Within Illinois, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within IllinoisOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$54K
Leavers$73K

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

Who moves here
4.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Macon County report $54,300 a year in income on average; those leaving, $73,000, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$34,000 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $850 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,429 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $167,500.
Getting to work
19 minutes each way on average; 13.7% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Palmerton, PA matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Income of households moving in8
$54,284
23% below the median place
Moved here in the past year1
4.0%
29% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureLong CreekAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure4.0%29% below
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure-6.0below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure$54,28423% below
Income of households moving out8County figure$73,0224% above
02

What it costs to live here

Home price to income is 2.1x, 44% below the median place.

Long Creek13.0%
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
$34,000
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
13.0%
36% below the median place
Home price to income
2.1x
44% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
13%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$72,400
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Long Creek, $850 a month, and local prices for everything else (95.0 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 Long Creek.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Long Creek? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Homeownership1
91.0%
37% above the median place
Median home value1
$167,500
48% below the median place
Property tax rate1
1.5%
69% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureLong CreekAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$85038% below
Rent to income113.0%36% below
Property tax rate11.5%69% above
Home price to income12.1x44% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure88.412% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,09132% below
HUD area median income4County figure$95,10011% below
Property tax paid (median)1$2,57621% below
Median home value1$167,50048% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure5.1%60% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure44.3%14% below
Homeownership191.0%37% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure40.4%20% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,42924% below
Vacant homes1County figure12.4%76% above
Median year built119720% below
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Mean commute1
19 min
24% below the median place
Poverty rate1
6.7%
38% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Works from home13.7% +10%
Income per person$38,311 −4%
Median household income$78,519 −2%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureLong CreekAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$78,5192% below
Income per person1$38,3114% below
Unemployment1County figure6.8%38% above
Average annual pay6County figure$68,7644% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure1.4%62% below
Jobs6County figure45,16470% below
Poverty rate16.7%38% below
Mean commute119 min24% below
Works from home113.7%10% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Median age is 49.1, 26% above the median place.

Median age1
49.1
26% above the median place
Population change since 20207
-3.7%
below the median place (median 1.1%)
Bachelor's or higher1
17.1%
47% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Homes with broadband96.2% +4%
High school or higher91.9% −0%
Household size2.5 +0%
All 9 people measures
MeasureLong CreekAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,3926646th largest
Population change since 20207-3.7%below (median 1.1%)
Median age149.126% above
Bachelor's or higher117.1%47% below
High school or higher191.9%0% below
Household size12.50% above
Born abroad1County figure2.8%69% below
No health insurance1County figure4.1%36% below
Homes with broadband196.2%4% above
05

Life in Long Creek

11 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars21.4 +3%
Shops32.0 +6%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.8 +17%
Doctors' offices and clinics17.1 −15%
Child care centers1.0 −57%

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

Child care centers per 10k9
1.0
57% below the median place
Public schools12
41
356% above the median place
Public school students12
14,702
200% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureLong CreekAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure41356% above
Public school students12County figure14,702200% above
Students per teacher12County figure16.46% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure21.43% above
Shops per 10k9County figure32.06% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure4.817% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure17.115% below
Child care centers per 10k9County figure1.057% below
Parks per 10k100.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k100.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k100.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k100.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k100.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails100.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi100.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings11County figure1115% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Wildfire risk is 21.1, 65% 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 Long Creek. Larger places are fetched first.

Wildfire risk14
21.1
65% below the median place
January average low13
19°F
26% below the median place
Hurricane risk14
37.1
48% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureLong CreekAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure86°F1% below
January average low13County figure19°F26% below
Average temperature13County figure53°F4% below
Annual precipitation13County figure39.0 in11% below
Natural hazard risk14County figure83.310% below
Hurricane risk14County figure37.148% below
Tornado risk14County figure86.16% above
Wildfire risk14County figure21.165% below
Heat wave risk14County figure90.30% above
Median air quality index15County figure442% above
Good air days15County figure64.9%5% below
08

Long Creek in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 13% of the median income in 2030, up from 13% now.

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 rent$850/mo (2024)$1,090/mo$890 to $1,320/mo+4.2%
Median household income$78,519 (2024)$96,500$81,500 to $114,500+3.5%
Median home value$167,500 (2024)$229,000$167,000 to $316,000+5.4%
Population1,212 (2025)1,2001,150 to 1,250−0.2%

The median home would be worth 2.4 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.1 now.

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

09

Places like Long Creek

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

PlaceRentIncome
Palmerton, PA$931$68,143Compare
Brooklyn, OH$971$69,346Compare
Gun Barrel City, TX$960$71,310Compare
Fairview, GA$989$64,050Compare
Fairview, GAGun Barrel City, TXBrooklyn, OHPalmerton, PALong Creek, ILLong CreekPalmertonBrooklynGun Barrel CityFairviewLong CreekPalmertonBrooklynGun Barrel CityFairview

Common questions

Is Long Creek a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Household income has grown -1.5% a year across the last five survey releases, slower than in 97% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 335 Illinois places. The median rent takes only 13.0% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 92% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 99 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Long Creek expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 13.0% 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 $167,500.

What salary do you need to live in Long Creek?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $34,000 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Long Creek?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Palmerton, PA, Brooklyn, OH, Gun Barrel City, TX and Fairview, GA.

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. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. 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.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 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
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. 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 Long Creek with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Long Creek itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/long-creek-illinois

Citytistics. “Long Creek, Illinois.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/long-creek-illinois/

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