What it's like to live in O'Fallon
O'Fallon is a small city in Illinois with home prices that remain within reach, household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. O'Fallon deals with cold winters.
The good
- Affordable home prices
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Highly educated workforce
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Cold winters
How O'Fallon compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to O'Fallon
Based on O'Fallon's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,664
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $53,280 a year
- 46% of O'Fallon renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$59,140
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $29,570
- Homes cost 2.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,332/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,332 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $295,700. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $295,700 · 46% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 12% below US
3.8% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.8%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 57% below US
140 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 922/100k · O'Fallon Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
25 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 25.3 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 20% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 89°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 27°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, rated 4.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▲ 46% above US
52% 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
10 public schools inside the boundary
There are 10 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Gateway Arch National Park (15 miles away). There are 6 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
O'Fallon's strongest points are home prices that remain within reach and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoff is cold winters. A year of median rent ($1,332/mo) equals 15% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime, remote workers (20% of workers here already work from home), and college-educated professionals.
Other places near O'Fallon
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