Housing data for St. Elmo, IL
St. Elmo, IL has an estimated 1,257 residents and 510 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a city in Fayette County.
18.0% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $762 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 1,257 (±250)
- Housing units
- 510 (±91)
- Households that rent
- 18.0%
- Median gross rent
- $762
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −15.1%
What stands out in St. Elmo
Median real estate taxes: $1,116 (±$170) in St. Elmo, lower than in Fayette County ($1,894).
Median home value: $82,600 (±$6,887) in St. Elmo, lower than in Fayette County ($130,700).
Median household income: $45,294 (±$10,078) in St. Elmo, lower than in Fayette County ($60,944).
Households without a vehicle: 2.6% (±2.0 points) in St. Elmo, lower than in Fayette County (5.5%).
- Property taxes in St. Elmo
- Home values in St. Elmo
- Income and affordability in St. Elmo
- Commute and cars in St. Elmo
Housing in St. Elmo at a glance
- Median rent: $762 median gross rent a month (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Rent burden: 47.8% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 18.0% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $45,294 median household income
- Home values: $82,600 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $935 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $1,116 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 0.6% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 58.4% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 81.0% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 18.4% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 78.5% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 22.8 minutes average trip to work
- Crime reported to police: 243 violent crimes per 100,000 residents
- Growth: −15.1% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 9.6% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 2.9% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
St. Elmo against Fayette County, its state and the nation
| St. Elmo | Fayette County | Illinois | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,257 (±250) | 21,315 (exact) | 12,694,798 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 510 (±91) | 8,808 (±77) | 5,457,452 (±471) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 18.0% (±8.3 points) | 19.4% (±2.6 points) | 32.9% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $762 (±$42) | $798 (±$56) | $1,274 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $45,294 (±$10,078) | $60,944 (±$3,842) | $83,390 (±$362) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $82,600 (±$6,887) | $130,700 (±$9,309) | $263,300 (±$797) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $1,116 (±$170) | $1,894 (±$136) | $5,298 (±$22) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 81.0% (±14.6 points) | 63.5% (±4.2 points) | 63.4% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 22.8 minutes (±5.7) | 25.5 minutes (±1.3) | 27.8 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 83.6% (±6.4 points) | 83.9% (±2.5 points) | 90.8% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 40.1 years (±9.0) | 41.9 years (±0.8) | 39.0 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
St. Elmo covers 1.5 square miles of land, about 848 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How St. Elmo has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,480 (±203) | 1,257 (±250) | −15.1% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 671 (±62) | 510 (±91) | −24.0% | Measurable decrease |
| Median gross rent | $493 (±$176) | $762 (±$42) | +54.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $74,100 (±$8,868) | $82,600 (±$6,887) | +11.5% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $44,728 (±$3,697) | $45,294 (±$10,078) | +1.3% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $805 (±$62) | $935 (±$132) | +16.1% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $1,132 (±$130) | $1,116 (±$170) | −1.4% | Down after inflation |
| Households that rent | 15.9% (±5.3 points) | 18.0% (±8.3 points) | +2.1 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 25.0% (±15.0 points) | 18.4% (±18.7 points) | −6.6 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in St. Elmo
In 2025, the St. Elmo Police Department reported 243 violent and 647 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.
Across Fayette County, the departments that report recorded 217 violent and 741 property crimes per 100,000 residents that year.
Places near St. Elmo
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avena Township | 1.5 mi | $749 | $96,000 | 16.8% |
| Wheatland Township (Fayette County) | 4.1 mi | — | $275,000 | 13.2% |
| Mound Township (Effingham County) | 5.7 mi | $782 | $135,000 | 17.7% |
| Brownstown | 5.9 mi | $886 | $72,900 | 43.2% |
| Altamont | 6.1 mi | $791 | $129,800 | 22.2% |
| West Township (Effingham County) | 7.1 mi | — | $215,600 | 0.0% |
| Sefton Township | 7.7 mi | — | $135,200 | 1.1% |
| Loudon Township | 8.5 mi | $531 | $186,200 | 14.2% |
Places in Illinois most like St. Elmo
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Salem | $811 | $74,600 | $49,821 | 17.8% |
| Ridgway Township | $755 | $85,400 | $51,667 | 15.0% |
| Tamaroa | $785 | $80,200 | $48,646 | 17.9% |
| Hillsboro Township | $717 | $101,800 | $51,215 | 21.4% |
| Ridgway | $667 | $75,000 | $46,000 | 20.3% |
| Denning Township | $808 | $82,800 | $52,917 | 22.8% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Illinois.
HUD Fair Market Rent for St. Elmo, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $724 | $728 | $930 | $1,213 | $1,350 |
HUD income limits for St. Elmo, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $18,850 | $31,400 | $50,250 |
| 2 people | $21,640 | $35,900 | $57,400 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $40,400 | $64,600 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $44,850 | $71,750 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $48,450 | $77,500 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $52,050 | $83,250 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $55,650 | $89,000 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $59,250 | $94,750 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Fayette County, IL, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $82,500.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
What you can do on Seayora in St. Elmo
One account for renting, owning, managing and fixing homes, with these figures beside you.
Own or manage a rental?
List it, sign the lease and collect rent online, with the figures for St. Elmo beside you.
Create a landlord account · See what landlords get
Looking for a place to rent?
Browse homes for rent near St. Elmo, save the ones you like and apply online.
Browse rentals · Create a renter account
Do repairs, renovations or maintenance?
Get found by owners and renters near St. Elmo, and send estimates and invoices from your phone.
Questions about St. Elmo
How many renters are there in St. Elmo?
St. Elmo has an estimated 82 (±40) renting households, 18.0% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in St. Elmo?
The median household income in St. Elmo is $45,294 (±$10,078) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in St. Elmo, IL?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $82,600 (±$6,887) for owner-occupied homes in St. Elmo (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in St. Elmo?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in St. Elmo, IL is $935 (±$132) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How much are property taxes in St. Elmo?
The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in St. Elmo, IL is $1,116 (±$170) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many homes are in St. Elmo?
St. Elmo, IL has an estimated 510 (±91) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is St. Elmo growing?
In St. Elmo, the number of residents went from 1,480 in 2015–2019 to 1,257 in 2020–2024 (−15.1%), not a measurable change.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — St. Elmo city, Illinois
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — St. Elmo city, Illinois
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — St. Elmo city, Illinois
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — St. Elmo city, Illinois
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — St. Elmo city, Illinois
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — St. Elmo city, Illinois
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — St. Elmo city, Illinois
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Fayette County, IL
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Fayette County, IL
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: St. Elmo Police Department (ORI IL0260200)
- FBI: Uniform Crime Reporting statistics and their proper use
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for St. Elmo city, Illinois (place:66794, in state:17).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .