HomeIllinoisColes CountyCharleston
Charleston, Illinois: commercial real estate data.
Charleston is a Census city of 17,062 people across 9.08 square miles of land, in Coles County. Median household income is $49,300, 48.0 percent of occupied homes are owned, and the SBA record carries 11 7(a) approvals to borrowers here worth $5.3 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Charleston
What Charleston is
- Census place typecity
- Land area9.08 sq mi
- Water area0.71 sq mi
- Population per square mile of land1,880
- County holding the largest share of its areaColes County, 100.0 percent
US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Charleston
How many people live in Charleston
- Population17,062
- Median age29.6
- Population under 182,006
- Share under 1811.8 percent
- Population 65 and over2,604
- Share 65 and over15.3 percent
- Households7,447
- Family households3,470
- Share of households that are families46.6 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Charleston
Income and work in Charleston
- Median household income$49,300
- Per capita income$31,560
- Civilian labor force9,564
- Employed8,978
- Unemployed586 plus or minus 220
- Unemployment rate6.1 percent plus or minus 2.3
- Adults 25 and over9,528
- Adults 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher93.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher33.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree17.6 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Charleston
Housing in Charleston
- Housing units8,181
- Occupied units7,447
- Vacant units734 plus or minus 239
- Vacancy rate9.0 percent plus or minus 2.9
- Owner occupied3,574
- Renter occupied3,873
- Ownership rate48.0 percent
- Median owner-occupied home value$137,400
- Median gross rent, monthly$817
- Annual rent as a share of median income19.9 percent
- Single family units4,502
- Share single family55.0 percent
- Units in buildings of two or more3,435
- Share in buildings of two or more42.0 percent
- Mobile homes227 plus or minus 106
- Median year structure built1977
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Charleston
How Charleston gets to work
- Workers 16 and over who commute7,842
- Commuting under 15 minutes4,982
- Share commuting under 15 minutes63.5 percent
- Commuting 30 minutes or more1,181 plus or minus 337
- Share commuting 30 minutes or more15.1 percent plus or minus 4.2
- Drove alone70.4 percent
- Carpooled8.1 percent plus or minus 2.5
- Public transport0.2 percent plus or minus 0.4
- Walked10.0 percent plus or minus 2.5
- Worked from home8.9 percent plus or minus 2.6
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Charleston
SBA loans in Charleston (7(a))
- Approvals11
- Gross approval$5,283,200
- Average approval$480,291
- Median approval$225,000
- Largest approval$2,050,000
- Jobs supported216
- Jobs per approval19.6
- Loans with a final outcome3
- Paid in full3
- Charged off0
- Median term120 months
- Share on real estate terms of 20 years or more18.2 percent
- Share to franchises9.1 percent
- Distinct lenders9
- Distinct industries by NAICS10
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Charleston, in any county, FY2020 to FY2026. Only 3 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Charleston
SBA loans in Charleston (504)
- Approvals2
- Gross approval$1,175,000
- Average approval$587,500
- Median approval$587,500
- Largest approval$843,000
- Jobs supported40
- Loans with a final outcome1
- Charged off0
- Median term240 months
- Distinct CDCs1
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Charleston, in any county, FY2010 to FY2026. Only 1 loan has reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Charleston
Flood risk in Charleston
- NFIP communityCity of Charleston
- NFIP community number170052
- Participating in the NFIPYes
- Community Rating System classNone
- Currently effective map date07/18/11
The City of Charleston participates in the National Flood Insurance Program as community 170052 and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies to it.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Coles County, not Charleston
Coles County context, not Charleston figures
- Establishments in Coles County1,112
- Covered employment, Coles County23,930
- Average annual pay, Coles County$52,987
- Housing units permitted, Coles County36
Every figure in this section is published for Coles County as a whole and is not a measurement of Charleston.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages. US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Parcel detail, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Common questions
Charleston questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Charleston, Illinois?
17,062, in 7,447 households. Charleston city covers 9.08 square miles of land, which is 1,880 people per square mile. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
What county is Charleston in?
Coles County, which holds 100.0 percent of the place by area. Source: US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage.
What is the median household income in Charleston?
$49,300. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $137,400. Median gross rent is $817 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
How much SBA lending goes to Charleston businesses?
11 7(a) approvals totaling $5.3 m since FY2020, across 9 lenders, median approval $225,000, plus 2 504 approvals worth $1.2 m since FY2010. These count approvals to borrowers whose address is in Charleston, not projects sited inside the place boundary, and they are approvals recorded in the release rather than loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans to Charleston borrowers get paid back?
No rate is published for Charleston. Only 3 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published. The counts are shown instead.
Is Charleston in the National Flood Insurance Program?
Yes. Charleston appears in the FEMA Community Status Book as Charleston, city of, community 170052, with no Community Rating System class, so no CRS discount applies. Whether a specific parcel sits in a mapped special flood hazard area is an address level question the platform answers.
Are the county figures on this page Charleston figures?
No, and they are labeled so. County Business Patterns, QCEW, the Building Permits Survey, BEA product and IRS migration are published for Coles County as a whole and there is no place level equivalent. They appear in one clearly marked section as context and are never presented as measurements of Charleston.
Is zoning published for Charleston?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning.
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