Centralia is a somewhat small city located in the state of Illinois. With a population of 11,931 people and five associated neighborhoods, Centralia is the 197th largest community in Illinois.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 7.57% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

One of the benefits of Centralia is that there is very little traffic. The average commute to work is 17.98 minutes, which is substantially less than the national average. Not only does this mean that the drive to work is less aggravating, but noise and pollution levels are lower as a result.

In terms of college education, Centralia is nearly on par with the US average for all cities of 21.84%: 18.22% of adults 25 and older in Centralia have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree.

The per capita income in Centralia in 2022 was $27,687, which is lower middle income relative to Illinois and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $110,748 for a family of four. However, Centralia contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Centralia is a very ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Centralia home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Centralia residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Centralia include German, Irish, English, Italian, and Scots-Irish.

The most common language spoken in Centralia is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Polish.