Illinois is home to some of the wealthiest suburbs in the country, but not every community shares in that success. A new 2026 ranking has named Carbondale the poorest place in Illinois, and it’s the second year in a row the southern Illinois city has landed at the top of the list.
Carbondale Tops the List Again
The ranking comes from HomeSnacks, which studied 330 Illinois cities with more than 5,000 residents. Using newly released U.S. Census data from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey, it ranked each place on income, poverty and unemployment.
Carbondale, home to about 22,158 people, came in at No. 1. It also held the top spot last year.
The Numbers Behind the Ranking
Here’s how Carbondale compares with the rest of the state:
- Median household income: $32,128, the lowest in Illinois, compared with $83,390 statewide
- Poverty rate: 37.4%, compared with 11.8% statewide
- Unemployment rate: 10.4%, compared with 5.8% statewide
The report points to a mix of low pay and a shortage of jobs as the main reasons for Carbondale’s ranking.
There is one upside. Carbondale’s cost of living is in the bottom 15% of Illinois places, which keeps housing relatively affordable.
A College Town Factor
Carbondale is home to Southern Illinois University. In college towns, many residents are students who earn little or no income while in school, which can pull down local income numbers and push up poverty rates. That doesn’t erase the real struggles many families face, but it’s worth keeping in mind when reading the numbers.
The 10 Poorest Places in Illinois for 2026
- Carbondale
- Riverdale
- East St. Louis
- Harrisburg
- Urbana
- Macomb
- West Frankfort
- Harvey
- Danville
- Kankakee
Riverdale, a Chicago suburb, had the highest poverty rate on the list at 41.5%.
Different Lists, Different Results
Other studies have named different towns as Illinois’ poorest, depending on how they measure it. For example, 24/7 Wall St. looked only at smaller towns of 1,000 to 25,000 people and has named places like Phoenix and Alorton in past years. Still, many of the same communities, especially in southern Illinois and the Metro East area, keep showing up on these lists.
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