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St. Clair County, IL

Migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
95
5% below the U.S. average
Median home value
$168,800
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+42.5%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$1,032
national $1,348
Homeownership
68%
national 65%
Unemployment
4.7%
national 3.6%
Household income
$70,178
national $78,538
Median age
39.5 yrs
national 38.7

Cost of living is the metro-area price level for St. Louis, MO-IL.

The cost of living runs about 5% below the national average. The median home is valued at $168,800 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 42% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $1,032 a month. Unemployment averaged 4.7% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $70,178. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, St. Clair County, IL saw a net loss of 314 tax-filing households and a net loss of 595 individuals. Against a population of about 251,018, that is a net outflow of about 2.4 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area lost $40.1M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 983 households, came from Madison County; the largest outflow, about 1,146 households, went to Madison County. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net loss of 853 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
-$40.1M
nominal dollars
Net households
-314
tax returns
Net people
-595
exemptions

-2.4 net people per 1,000 residents (population 251,018)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$350.1M
Moved out$390.2M
Net -$40.1M (nominal)
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St. Clair County within Illinois

St. Clair County is outlined, with arrows tracing its largest moves to and from other Illinois counties. Hover any county for its figures; click to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
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Where movers came from

  1. 1Madison County, IL983$44.6M
  2. 2St. Louis County, MO560$28.3M
  3. 3St. Louis City, MO411$24.2M
  4. 4Monroe County, IL168$9.7M
  5. 5Clinton County, IL146$7.7M
  6. 6St. Charles County, MO102$6.3M
  7. 7Cook County, IL87$7.9M
  8. 8Jefferson County, MO83$5M
  9. 9Randolph County, IL80$3.7M
  10. 10Washington County, IL56$3.2M
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Where movers went

  1. 1Madison County, IL1,146$59.2M
  2. 2St. Louis County, MO626$34.6M
  3. 3St. Louis City, MO387$17.3M
  4. 4Monroe County, IL218$14.4M
  5. 5Clinton County, IL145$8.2M
  6. 6Jefferson County, MO126$7.5M
  7. 7St. Charles County, MO121$8.4M
  8. 8Randolph County, IL94$4.8M
  9. 9Cook County, IL82$4.4M
  10. 10Maricopa County, AZ52$2.5M
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Churn by county · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

Madison County, IL9831,146-163-$14.6M
St. Louis County, MO560626-66-$6.3M
St. Louis City, MO411387+24+$6.8M
Monroe County, IL168218-50-$4.6M
Clinton County, IL146145+1-$508K
St. Charles County, MO102121-19-$2.2M
Jefferson County, MO83126-43-$2.5M
Randolph County, IL8094-14-$1.1M
Cook County, IL8782+5+$3.5M
Maricopa County, AZ52520+$371K
Bexar County, TX5051-1+$30K
Washington County, IL5644+12+$152K

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: -$918.8M (-13,775 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012-$73.7M-1,569
2013-$63.8M-1,737
2014-$63.4M-1,550
2015-$47M-715
2016-$693K-857
2017-$199.9M-1,375
2018-$82M-939
2019-$65.9M-1,381
2020-$101.7M-912
2021-$99.7M-1,292
2022-$80.9M-853
2023-$40.1M-595
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the county?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 595 more people left St. Clair County, IL than moved in (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net loss of about $40.1M in income (nominal) — in a county of 252,232 people.

Population
252,232
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
-2.4
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about -24 people.
Net income per resident
−$159
nominal dollars
-$40.1M total across 252,232 residents.

The rate lets you compare St. Clair County, IL with a countyof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

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Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the county’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+2,446
Deaths
-2,785
Net domestic migration
-612
Net international migration
+400
Total change
-598

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

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Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around St. Clair County, IL run about 5% below the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $105 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$59,251
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
15% below the U.S. average
Price level
95.0
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 5.0% lower than average
What that income buys
$62,387
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
11% below the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

Cost of living shown for the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area (BEA publishes price parities by metro, not by county).

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Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents80.6
Goods98.7
Utilities81.6
Other services97.6

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

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Who lives here

The people of St. Clair County, IL

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
39.5
years
Median household income
$70,178
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
11% below the U.S. median
College degree
31%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
13.6%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
25 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
88%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 59%Hispanic 5%Black 28%Asian 2%Other 6%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

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Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$168,800
owner-occupied homes
44% below the U.S. median
Median rent
$1,032
gross rent per month
23% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
68%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+9.4%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+42%
price change, 2018 to 2023

A repeat-sales index (how much the same homes changed in price), so it tracks the market over time rather than the current level. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual all-transactions HPI; the county series is FHFA’s developmental index.

New home construction · building permits, 2023
540new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 63%Multifamily 37%

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

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Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
4.7%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
122,231
116,448 employed
Disaster declarations
major federal, 2023

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

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Unemployment now
4.2%
April 2026 · ▲ 0.6 points vs April 2025
January 2024April 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this county, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

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How St. Clair County, IL has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
202463,43354,0212,508D +7.8119,962
202068,32557,1502,616D +8.7128,091
201660,75653,8575,967D +5.7120,580
201267,28550,1252,056D +14.4119,466
200876,16047,9581,626D +22.4125,744
200462,41050,203576D +10.8113,189
200055,96142,2992,133D +13.6100,393

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

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