What it's like to live in Champaign
Champaign is a smaller city in Illinois with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, commutes that run shorter than most cities, and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Champaign deals with household incomes below the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, a poverty rate above the national average, and cold winters.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Short commutes
- Highly educated workforce
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Air quality concerns
- High poverty rate
- Cold winters
How Champaign compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Champaign
Based on Champaign's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,246
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $44,920 a year
- 48% of Champaign renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$42,180
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $21,090
- Homes cost 3.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 21% below US
$1,123/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,123 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $210,900. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $210,900 · 48% of renters cost-burdened
Job marketNear US average
4.1% unemployment
Unemployment here is 4.1%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▲ 13% above US
374 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 2086/100k · Champaign Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 43% below US
15 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 14.9 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 17% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 84°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 21°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▲ 46% above US
53% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.
Schools
22 public schools inside the boundary
There are 22 public schools inside the boundary and 8 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Lincoln Home National Historic Site (76 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Champaign's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,123/mo) equals 24% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, remote workers (17% of workers here already work from home), and people who want short commutes.
Other places near Champaign
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