What it's like to live in Swansea
Swansea is a small city in Illinois with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, household incomes running above the national average, and crime rates well below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Swansea deals with cold winters and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Highly educated workforce
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Cold winters
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Swansea compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Swansea
Based on Swansea's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,274
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $45,480 a year
- 35% of Swansea renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$44,720
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $22,360
- Homes cost 2.4× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 20% below US
$1,137/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,137 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $223,600. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $223,600 · 35% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.5% county unemployment
Unemployment in St. Clair County is 4.5%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
St. Clair County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 79% below US
69 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 684/100k · Swansea Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
24 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 24.1 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; 15% 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
Education & workforce▲ 18% above US
43% bachelor's degree or higher
The population is well-educated, with 43% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.
Schools
3 public schools inside the boundary
There are 3 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 13:1, 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 Gateway Arch National Park (12 miles away). There are 6 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Swansea's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are cold winters and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit. A year of median rent ($1,137/mo) equals 15% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, anyone prioritizing low crime, and remote workers (15% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Swansea
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