Galesburg receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.
Signals
Centralia
Galesburg
Opportunity
25 · Bottom 3%
vs34 · Bottom 10%
Growth
10 · Bottom 2%
vs26 · Bottom 13%
Climate
67 · Bottom 39%
vs59 · Bottom 10%
Physical resilience
54 · Bottom 46%
vs59 · Top 49%
Housing affordability
97 · Top 14%
vs96 · Top 18%
Schools
43 · Bottom 39%
vs37 · Bottom 32%
Access
71 · Bottom 13%
vs83 · Bottom 26%
Economic stability
28 · Bottom 5%
vs30 · Bottom 7%
Measured values
| Metric | Centralia | Galesburg | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 11,856 | 29,481 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median household income | $47,807 | $48,297 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income | $26,963 | $27,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Population density | 1,446/sq mi | 1,659/sq mi | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value | $89,600 | $96,400 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent | $765 | $801 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate | 62.5% | 62.2% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment rate | 4.7% | 5.7% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | -2.2% | -0.6% | June 2026 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.4% | 19.7% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 24.3% | 19.1% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units permitted (12 months) | 1 | 1 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permits per 1,000 residents | 0.1 | 0.0 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Average July high | 88°F | 84°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 21°F | 14°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual precipitation | 44.7" | 39.0" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Distance to major airport | 53 mi | 35 mi | NASR current cycle |
| Average commute | 19.5 min | 17.7 min | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median age | 39.1 | 40.8 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public schools | 15 | 15 | 2024-25 school year |
| Students per teacher | 12.32 | 14.31 | 2024-25 school year |
| Math proficiency | 14.5% | 13.9% | 2019-20 school year |
| Reading proficiency | 22.7% | 22.3% | 2019-20 school year |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility | 78.4% | 76.3% | 2024-25 school year |
A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.
Physical risk tradeoff
Centralia
Elevated or high exposure: earthquake, strong wind.
Galesburg
Elevated or high exposure: hail.
Full profiles: Centralia, IL · Galesburg, IL · How this is calculated: methodology