Population
195 residents
Census ACS 2023 - Illinois
City profile · Illinois · Census ACS 2023
Serena, IL
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Serena - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 195
- Residents
- $1,079
- Median rent (state)
Serena - the verdict
195 people call Serena, Illinois home. Source: Census ACS.
- 27th
- percentile, median rent
📝 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: Serena, IL
195 people live in Serena, Illinois - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The median resident age is 15.4 years. Educational attainment runs 10.9% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 68.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The city is served by 2 public schools according to NCES Common Core of Data.
Illinois tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Illinois at 100.0 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Near Average). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,079 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $240 across Illinois, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 86.1 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Very High).
Median Household Income
N/A /yr
Poverty 50.0%
Cost of Living Index (state)
100.0 (US=100)
Near Average - BEA RPP 2024, Illinois average
How does Serena compare to other US cities?
Where Serena sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Median rent 27% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Serena against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Illinois only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Illinois-relative analysis
Poverty Rate is Serena's strongest outlier among Illinois cities
Among the 1,335 Illinois cities PlainCities tracks with reported poverty rate data, Serena ranks #5 - the 100th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Serena only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Gross Rent
#610 of 1,336
53rd percentile in Illinois
Poverty Rate
#5 of 1,335
100th percentile in Illinois
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#1,042 of 1,336
22nd percentile in Illinois
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.
Income distribution context
Median household income is not available for Serena in the current Census ACS release (common for very small places).
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 10.9%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 50.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 68.5%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
195
Median Income
N/A
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
15.4
Poverty Rate
50.0%
Labor force participation
68.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
10.9%
Schools
Total Schools
2
Public schools in this city
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
100.0%
Carpool
0.0%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
0.0%
Based on 61 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for Illinois - EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$100
avg/month
Natural Gas
$90
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$50
avg/month
Total Utilities
$240
estimated/month
Estimates reflect Illinois state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Cost of living is a Illinois state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Serena sits in
Cost of Living Index
100.0
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,079/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
86.1 / 100
Very High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in Illinois
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Serena's 195 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How Serena compares to nearby Illinois cities
Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
| City | Population | Median Household Income |
|---|---|---|
| Serena (this city) | 195 | N/A |
| Penfield | 195 | $94,531 |
| Kingston Mines | 194 | $50,000 |
| Vermilion | 194 | $46,250 |
Census ACS 5-year FIPS IL NCES CCD OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Serena, IL?
What is the population of Serena, IL? +
Serena, IL has a population of 195 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the cost of living in Serena? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Serena; the closest available measure is the Illinois state average, a cost of living index of 100.0 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within Illinois vary by metro area.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NCES CCD, 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.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.
Citation & verification links
Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCitiesEvery figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.