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Cost of living, pay and housing

39.70° N · 90.22° W · GEOID 1770889

South Jacksonville

Morgan County, Illinois · part of the Jacksonville, IL metro

Limited data population under 5,000

IllinoisSouth Jacksonville, ILSouth JacksonvilleSouth Jacksonville

The short answer

South Jacksonville is home to 3,239 people. Median household income is $49,587 a year and median rent is $647 a month, 15.7% 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 $135,800, about 2.7x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$647
53% below the median place
Median household income
$49,587
38% below the median place
Median home value
$135,800
57% below the median place
Unemployment
5.4%
10% 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 South Jacksonville

  • Median rent is $647 a month, lower than in 98% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 335 Illinois places.
  • Household income has grown -1.6% a year across the last five survey releases, slower than in 97% of places its size. It is the lowest of 335 Illinois places.
  • Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 100 hours a year commuting, less than in 95% of places its size.
  • Households average 1.92 people, smaller than in 96% of places its size.
  • The median resident is 48.7 years old, older than in 89% of places its size.
01

Moving to South Jacksonville

Morgan County loses about 5.5 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in1,065
Moved out1,207
Net−142

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Scott County, IL6282−20
Greene County, IL5777−20

Within Illinois, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within IllinoisOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$44K
Leavers$50K

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

Who moves here
6.5% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.6% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Morgan County report $44,300 a year in income on average; those leaving, $49,600, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$25,900 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $647 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,026 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $135,800.
Getting to work
14 minutes each way on average; 8.7% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
New Kensington, PA matches it on character. Compare the two
Income of households moving in7
$44,299
37% below the median place
Income of households moving out7
$49,578
29% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
-5.5
below the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureSouth JacksonvilleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure6.5%13% above
Moved from another state1County figure1.6%22% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-5.5below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$44,29937% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$49,57829% below
02

What it costs to live here

Median gross rent is $647, 53% below the median place.

South Jacksonville15.7%
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
$25,880
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
15.7%
23% below the median place
Home price to income
2.7x
28% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
16%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$42,200
a year, prices not adjusted
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in South Jacksonville, $647 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like South Jacksonville, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Rainsville, AL8.4% vs 15.7%n/aCompare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in South Jacksonville.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to South Jacksonville? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$1,026
45% below the median place
Median home value1
$135,800
57% below the median place
Renters paying 30%+1
35.9%
29% below the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureSouth JacksonvilleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$64753% below
Rent to income115.7%23% below
Property tax rate11.6%76% above
Home price to income12.7x28% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure$93042% below
HUD area median income3County figure$91,50015% below
Property tax paid (median)1$2,17333% below
Median home value1$135,80057% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure7.7%142% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure41.0%20% below
Homeownership168.7%3% above
Renters paying 30%+135.9%29% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,02645% below
Vacant homes1County figure12.9%83% above
Median year built119681% below
03

Work and pay

Mean commute is 14 min, 43% below the median place.

Mean commute1
14 min
43% below the median place
Median household income1
$49,587
38% below the median place
Works from home1
8.7%
30% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureSouth JacksonvilleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$49,58738% below
Income per person1$34,95413% below
Unemployment1County figure5.4%10% above
Average annual pay5County figure$53,33319% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure0.3%92% below
Jobs5County figure14,19491% below
Poverty rate19.0%17% below
Mean commute114 min43% below
Works from home18.7%30% below
Commutes by transit1County figure0.9%6% above
04

Who lives here

Household size is 1.9, 23% below the median place.

Household size1
1.9
23% below the median place
Homes with broadband1
83.0%
10% below the median place
Median age1
48.7
25% above the median place
All 9 people measures
MeasureSouth JacksonvilleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population13,2396646th largest
Population change since 20206-3.2%below (median 1.1%)
Median age148.725% above
Bachelor's or higher124.3%24% below
High school or higher193.1%1% above
Household size11.923% below
Born abroad1County figure1.1%88% below
No health insurance1County figure4.4%31% below
Homes with broadband183.0%10% below
05

Life in South Jacksonville

11 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents24.7 2.4×
Playgrounds per 10k27.8 3.0×
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k6.2 −45%
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 bars22.4 +8%
Shops37.2 +23%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.6 −12%
Doctors' offices and clinics13.3 −34%
Child care centers2.1 −9%

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

Public schools12
1
89% below the median place
Public school students12
311
94% below the median place
Students per teacher12
15.6
1% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureSouth JacksonvilleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12189% below
Public school students1231194% below
Students per teacher1215.61% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure22.48% above
Shops per 10k8County figure37.223% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure3.612% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure13.334% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.19% below
Parks per 10k924.7143% above
Playgrounds per 10k927.8195% above
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k96.245% below
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure1115% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Violent crime per 100k is 0, below the median place (median 192).

Violent crime per 100k
0
below the median place (median 192)
Property crime per 100k
315
74% below the median place
Months reported
12 of 12
by the city police department to the FBI

Counts only offenses reported by the city police department. Sheriff, state and campus police are not included, and some departments do not report to the FBI at all, so compare with care.

Wildfire risk14
1.8
97% below the median place
Hurricane risk14
21.9
69% below the median place
Natural hazard risk14
71.1
23% below the median place
All 9 weather and risk measures
MeasureSouth JacksonvilleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure86°F0% below
January average low13County figure19°F24% below
Average temperature13County figure53°F3% below
Annual precipitation13County figure39.0 in11% below
Natural hazard risk14County figure71.123% below
Hurricane risk14County figure21.969% below
Tornado risk14County figure49.639% below
Wildfire risk14County figure1.897% below
Heat wave risk14County figure83.47% below
08

South Jacksonville in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 16% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 16% 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$647/mo (2024)$800/mo$650 to $970/mo+3.6%
Median household income$49,587 (2024)$61,000$51,500 to $72,000+3.5%
Median home value$135,800 (2024)$187,000$136,000 to $258,000+5.5%
Population3,195 (2025)3,1703,040 to 3,300−0.2%

The median home would be worth 3.1 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.7 now.

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

09

Places like South Jacksonville

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

PlaceRentIncome
New Kensington, PA$751$49,063Compare
International Falls, MN$645$57,662Compare
Weirton, WV$746$59,575Compare
Brewton, AL$695$50,721Compare
Brewton, ALWeirton, WVInternational Falls, MNNew Kensington, PASouth Jacksonville, ILSouth JacksonvilleNew KensingtonInternational FallsWeirtonBrewtonSouth JacksonvilleNew KensingtonInternational FallsBrewton

Common questions

Is South Jacksonville a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Median rent is $647 a month, lower than in 98% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 335 Illinois places. Household income has grown -1.6% a year across the last five survey releases, slower than in 97% of places its size. It is the lowest of 335 Illinois places. On cost, space and class size it scores 64 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is South Jacksonville expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 15.7% 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 $135,800.

What salary do you need to live in South Jacksonville?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $25,880 a year. Work it out from your current city.

Is South Jacksonville safe?

There were 0 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 192 in the typical place.

What places are similar to South Jacksonville?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are New Kensington, PA, International Falls, MN, Weirton, WV and Brewton, AL.

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. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  3. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  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. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  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

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 South Jacksonville with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for South Jacksonville itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/south-jacksonville-illinois

Citytistics. “South Jacksonville, Illinois.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/south-jacksonville-illinois/

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