Centralia is a medium-sized city located in the state of Illinois. With a population of 11,787 people and five associated neighborhoods, Centralia is the 197th largest community in Illinois.Unlike some cities where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Centralia is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Centralia is a city of professionals, service providers, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Centralia who work in management occupations (8.74%), sales jobs (8.66%), and office and administrative support (8.31%). Residents of the city have the good fortune of having one of the shortest daily commutes compared to the rest of the country. On average, they spend only 18.48 minutes getting to work every day.In terms of college education, Centralia is nearly on par with the US average for all cities of 21.84%: 17.77% of adults 25 and older in Centralia have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree. The per capita income in Centralia in 2022 was $28,698, which is low income relative to Illinois, and lower middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $114,792 for a family of four. However, Centralia contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Centralia is a somewhat 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.
