Centralia, Illinois

On March 25, 1947 a coalmine[?] explosion near the town killed 111.

Geography Centralia is located at 38°31'31" North, 89°7'57" West (38.525257, -89.132548)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.8 km² (7.6 mi²). 19.4 km² (7.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.83% water.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 14,136 people, 5,784 households, and 3,568 families residing in the city. The population density is 727.7/km² (1,884.4/mi²). There are 6,276 housing units at an average density of 323.1/km² (836.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 86.50% White, 10.34% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. 1.20% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 5,784 households out of which 28.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% are married couples living together, 14.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.3% are non-families. 34.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 17.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.30 and the average family size is 2.95.

In the city the population is spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 85.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 80.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $31,905, and the median income for a family is $39,123. Males have a median income of $30,511 versus $21,967 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,174. 14.6% of the population and 11.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 23.1% are under the age of 18 and 8.6% are 65 or older.