Best Small Places for Business and Careers 2019

Champaign, IL

Champaign-Urbana, IL
the place image

Champaign, IL

Champaign-Urbana, IL
gross metro product
$14.8B
population
239.6K
median household income
$52,300
median home price
$150,000
cost of living
8% below nat'l avg
college attainment
41.6%
net migration
-280 (year: 2018)
unemployment
4.5%
major industries
Education, Technology
job growth
0.2% (year: 2018)
As of October 2019
Though surrounded by farm communities, Champaign is notable for sharing the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with its sister city of Urbana. Thanks to the university and a number of well known technology startup companies, it is often referred to as the hub, or at least a significant landmark, of the Silicon Prairie. Champaign is home to a growing downtown area, with the Art Theater and Campustown commercial district, serving as the entertainment and retail center for students at the University of
Illinois Champaign campus. Another site of interest is the Historic Virginia Theatre which hosts the Roger Ebert's Overbooked Film Festival, which is organized by the College of Media at the university.
... Read More
On forbes lists
#98
In Cost of Doing Business
#105
In Job Growth
#15
In Education
By The Numbers
EmploymentHousingEducationQuality of Life
Job Growth
0.2% (year: 2018)
Projected Annual Job Growth
0.7%
Unemployment
4.5%
Median Household Income
$52,300
Household Income Growth
1.9%
High-Tech Employment
1.7%
  • Data is for the metro area
  • Sources: Moody's Analytics; Sperling's BestPlaces; U.S. Census.
  • Numbers as of October 2019


  • a - Value of 100 means that a family with the median income has exactly enough income to qualify for a typical mortgage on a median-priced single-family home. An index above 100 signifies that the family has surplus income.
Key Connections
People
Companies
Top Colleges

More on Forbes