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Place dossier plate
SheetIL-FULTON-IL · Fulton, IL 3,457 pop · income 10th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Fulton
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Fulton on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Elba · lowest
41,310
Elba · lowest
41,310 median HH income
16.5% of the leader · rank #1
Brethren · near
42,434
Brethren · near
42,434 median HH income
17.0% of the leader · rank #2
Edgemont · near
42,440
Edgemont · near
42,440 median HH income
17.0% of the leader · rank #3
Fulton · this city
42,452
Fulton · this city
42,452 median HH income
17.0% of the leader · rank #4
Tarentum · near
42,453
Tarentum · near
42,453 median HH income
17.0% of the leader · rank #5
Lemmon · near
42,461
Lemmon · near
42,461 median HH income
17.0% of the leader · rank #6
Monte Sereno · highest
250,001
Monte Sereno · highest
250,001 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Fulton on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 3,457.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Fulton - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Fulton lands in the 10th percentile for household income and the 53rd percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
10th
percentile, household income
19th
percentile, home value
18th
percentile, median rent
53rd
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Fulton, IL
Fulton is a small town in Illinois, home to 3,457 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Fulton households earn a median of $42,452 annually, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 15.5%. Home values in Fulton run a median of $124,400, and the median resident age is 48.8 years. About 15.1% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 48.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 1 residential building permits were authorized in Fulton (Construction Slowdown), down 50% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Fulton reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 1270.8 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Illinois tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: the state registers 100.0 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,063 per month. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Illinois run around $240, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 54.5 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Fulton's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from comparison shortlist to population change to schools and households to work and mobility to reported crime to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Fulton, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
Which cities make useful reference points for Fulton?
Within Illinois, the closest population matches are Westville (3,442 residents, $52,809 income); Germantown Hills (3,425 residents, $141,719 income); Abingdon (3,424 residents, $56,414 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Shadyside, OH (3,458 residents); Goldendale, WA (3,458 residents); Elba, AL (3,459 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -102 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -2.8% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 1 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
The NCES join finds 4 public schools within the city match. 15.1% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
What does the journey to work look like in Fulton?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 82.7%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Fulton?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1270.8 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 44% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
1157.9
Violent rate
113.0
Total reported rate
1270.8
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
How far does income reach against housing in Fulton?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 2.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 15.5%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
Household income
$42,452
Home value
$124,400
Value / income
2.9×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Illinois average
F
City profile score · Fulton, IL
32/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Violent crime B-
113 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Cost of living D
100.0 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Poverty rate F
15.5%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
15.1%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income F
$42,452
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Fulton profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Violent crime: 68/100 (B-) · 113 /100k
Cost of living: 40/100 (D) · 100.0 index
Poverty rate: 22/100 (F) · 15.5%
Bachelor's+ share: 20/100 (F) · 15.1%
Household income: 10/100 (F) · $42,452
Where Fulton sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Fulton's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Fulton highlighted among 8 peers.Read the chart values
Fulton, IL (this city): home $124,400, crime 1,271/100k
Goldendale, WA : home $194,100, crime 3,333/100k
Elba, AL : home $105,000, crime 3,496/100k
Monte Sereno, CA : home $2,000,000+, crime 810/100k
Westville, IL : home $98,800, crime 1,689/100k
New Baden, IL : home $160,600, crime 239/100k
Riverton, IL : home $140,000, crime 1,244/100k
Smithton, IL : home $251,600, crime 233/100k
How does Fulton compare to other US cities?
Where Fulton sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income10% higher than other cities
Home value19% pricier than other cities
Median rent18% pricier than other cities
Safety53% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at Illinois, Fulton ranks #287 of 455 Illinois cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Fulton against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Illinois only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Illinois-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Fulton near the bottom of Illinois's cities
Among the 1,336 Illinois cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Fulton ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Fulton only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#1,222 of 1,311
7th percentile in Illinois
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,336
0th percentile in Illinois
Median Home Value
#619 of 1,315
53rd percentile in Illinois
Poverty Rate
#227 of 1,335
83rd percentile in Illinois
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#817 of 1,336
38th percentile in Illinois
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Illinois only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
10th percentile nationally for median household income · 53rd percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Fulton's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Fulton's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Fulton's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$124,400Among the most affordablemore affordable than 81% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Fulton's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.9×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#6,310 of 15,516
More affordable than 59% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#5,381 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 2.9×, Fulton sits in the affordable band:
national rank #6,310 of 15,516 and #5,381 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$42,452Fulton, IL median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Fulton, IL median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Fulton, IL.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)15.1%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)15.5%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)48.9%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
3,457
Median Income
$42,452
Median Home Value
$124,400
Median Age
48.8
Poverty Rate
15.5%
Labor force participation
48.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
15.1%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1270.8
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
113.0
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1157.9
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
4
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Fulton's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
3,642 residents
2021
3,626 residents
2022
3,576 residents
2023
3,568 residents
2024
3,560 residents
2025
3,540 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
1
housing units authorized
Single-Family
1
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.3
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
2
2
0
$0.4M
2020
2
2
0
$0.4M
2021
0
0
0
-
2022
0
0
0
-
2023
0
0
0
-
2024
1
1
0
$0.4M
Permit volume decreased 50% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
82.7%
Carpool
8.4%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
1.5%
Work from Home
6.7%
Other
0.7%
Based on 1,421 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Illinois statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $240
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Illinois at $240 (electricity about $100 , water and sewer about $50 ).
These are Illinois statewide averages, not a meter reading for Fulton. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Illinois's BEA cost-of-living index is 100.0 (Near Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Fulton is $1,063/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Illinois statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 54.5 / 100 (Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Illinois statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Fulton sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Fulton compares to similar-size Illinois cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.