Fast Facts

Located midway between Chicago and St. Louis in Central Illinois, the Peoria-Pekin MSA includes Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford, Stark and Marshall Counties. Combining "Big City Assets" with a "Smaller Town" lifestyle, our community has emerged as an attractive location for new companies and residents.

Click here to download the latest edition of Central Illinois Fast Facts.

 

To jump quickly to specific information on this page, select any of the following quick-links.

Population, Ethnicity and Demographics Higher Education and Vocation Training
Labor and Workforce Statistics Media
Income Utility Providers
Housing Transportation
Hospitals Gasoline Prices
Climate Tourism
Distances Retail Sales
Education State Averages  

Population, Ethnicity, and Demographics 
MSA 370,336
Peoria County 182,495
Tazewell County 130,559
Woodford County 37,904
Stark County 6,233
Marshall County 13,003
   
White 322,680 (87.13%)
Black/African-American 33,157 (8.95%)
American Indian/Alaskan 519 (0.14%)
Asian 5,271 (1.42%)
Native Hawaiian/Islander 229(0.06%)
Other 3,076 (0.83%)
2 or more Races 5,404 (1.46%)
   
Over 18 Years of Age 282,005 (76.15%)
18 – 65 Years of Age 218,467 (59.0%)
Over 65 Years of Age 63,538 (17.16%)
Median Age 37.4
Female 190,551(51.45%)
Male 179,785 (48.55%)
No. of Households 161,253
(U.S. Census Bureau)



Labor and Workforce Statistics 
(Not seasonally adjusted)  
Labor Force – Peoria-Pekin MSA 203,569
Unemployment Rate 6.10%
Average UE rate during 2007 5%
Employed 191,178
Unemployed 12,391
(Illinois Dept. of Employment Security, January 2008)


Income  
Median Household Income  
Peoria-Pekin MSA $47,266
Peoria County $45,691
Tazewell County $49,698
Woodford County $57,561
Stark County $40,496
Marshall County $44,655
Illinois State $52,006
(U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2006)  
   
Per Capita Personal Income $36,349
(Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2006)  
   
Illinois State Taxes (2007)  
Corp. Income Tax 7.3%
Personal Income Tax  3.0%
(Federation of Tax Administrators, 2008)  


Housing 
Current Average Sale Price of Homes $135,304
No. of Homes Sold to Date 583
No. of Homes Sold in 2007
 5,814
(Peoria Area Association of Realtors, February 2008)

Peoria ranked 33 out of 274 population centers on Inc. Magazines "Most Balanced Economy and Growth List".

Hospitals
Four major hospitals are in the area: Methodist Medical Center of Illinois, OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, Proctor Hospital, and Pekin Hospital. Our area includes the only Level 1 Trauma Center in Central Illinois with a Life-Flight helicopter base; Downstate Heart Transplant Center; Children's Hospital of Illinois; and U of I College of Medicine / Peoria Research Facility.



Climate 
Region  Eastern Midwest
Land Area  2,471 sq. mi.
Average High Temperature  60°
Average Low Temperature  41°


Distances 
Within 250 Miles Over 250 Miles
Springfield                 72 Atlanta                        685
Chicago                   141 Dallas                        806
St. Louis                  158 New York                   901
Indianapolis            201 Denver                       914
Milwaukee               233 Los Angeles            1953


Education 2006 Illinois State Averages 
Average SAT Verbal 591       Math 609
Average ACT 20.5
High School Graduation Rate 85.9%
(Illinois State Board of Education, 2006)



Higher Education and Vocational Training 
Bradley University www.bradley.edu
Eureka College www.eureka.edu
Illinois Central College www.icc.edu
Midstate College www.midstate.edu
U of I College of Medicine www.uicomp.uic.edu
Robert Morris College www.robertmorris.edu/peoria
Illinois Welding School www.illinoisweldingschool.com
Mid Central 3 Dist. Council of Carpenters 309.353.4232



Television Newspapers
ABC / WHOI Courier Publications
CBS / WMBD Metamora Herald
FOX / WYZZ Peoria Journal Star
NBC / WEEK Peoria Times Newspaper
UPN / WAOI Pekin Daily Times
Public / WTVP Woodford County Journal



Utility Providers 
Telecommunications SBC Communications Inc., AT&T, Verizon, Gallatin River Communications, MTCO, McLeod USA, MCI, Sprint
   
Natural Gas AmerenCILCO, Panhandle Eastern Pipeline Company
   
Electricity AmerenCILCO, Commonwealth Edison, Illinois Power
   
Water Dunlap Water Works, Illinois American Water Co., North Tazewell Public Water District, Pleasant Valley Public Water District, Sundale Utilities, T-L Rural Water District
   
Cable Heartland Cable Television, Insight Communications, Mediacom, Tel-Star Cablevision, Inc.


Transportation 
Airports Peoria Regional Airport, various private airports
Barge Lines American Commercial Barge Lines, ARTCO
Public Bus Line CityLink (M-Sat)
Rail Lines BNSF; Canadian National; Norfolk Southern; Union Pacific; RailAmerica; Genesee & Wyoming; Iowa Interstate Railroad; Pioneer Railroad; T & P
Interstates I-74; I-55; I-474; Linkages to I-39; I-55; I-57; I-80; I-88; and Highways Rt. 24, Rt. 29, Rt. 9, Rt. 150, Rt. 6, Rt. 8, Rt. 40, Rt. 116


Gasoline Prices (March)    
Grade Current Last Month Last Year US Avg
Regular 3.078 2.99 2.532 3.185
Mid 3.311 3.217 2.724 3.381
Premium 3.414 3.316 2.809 3.504
Diesel 3.753 3.408 2.733 3.71
(AAA, March 2008)


Tourism 
Major Arts & Science  
Lakeview Museum www.lakeview-museum.org
Peoria Area Civic Chorale www.peoriacivicchorale.org
Peoria Civic Opera Company www.operaillinois.com
Peoria Symphony Orchestra www.peoriasymphony.org
Peoria Ballet www.peoriaballet.com
Dinner Theatres  
Barn II Dinner Theatre www.barn2.com
Corn Stock Theatre www.cornstocktheatre.com
Peoria Players www.peoriaplayers.org
Eastlight Theatre www.eastlighttheatre.com
Sports  
Peoria Chiefs Pro Baseball Bradley University
Peoria Rivermen Hockey State Boys Baseball
Peoria RoughRiders Arena Football Steamboat Classic
Shopping  
The Shoppes at Grand Prairie www.theshoppesatgrandprairie.com
Northwoods Mall www.simon.com
Recreation  
Peoria Park Districts www.peoriaparks.org
Peoria Civic Center www.peoriaciviccenter.com
Par-A-Dice Casino www.par-a-dice.com
Wildlife Prairie State Park www.wildlifeprairiepark.com
Landmark Recreational Center www.landmarkrec.com
Annual Events  
Peoria Air Show Central Illinois Auto Show
East Peoria Festival of Lights Heart of Illinois Fair
Morton Pumpkin Festival Pekin Marigold Festival
Santa Claus Parade Steamboat Days
The Taste of Peoria Peoria Art Guild Fine Arts Fair
Eureka Lilac Festival AND MANY MORE!
No. of Major Hotels/Motels  
      Peoria County 19
      Tazewell County 14
      Woodford County 2
(Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, 2007)






 
 

 
1