Housing decision brief
Pope County, IL Housing Market
Pope County screens as a higher purchase price, below-state rent, a manageable tax-rate signal market. Use the page as a decision brief, not just a price lookup, because local income, taxes, and data confidence change how affordable the county really is.
75th lowest home value out of 102 Illinois counties with data | 2nd lowest rent out of 102
Median home value
$165,300
Purchase-price signal from Census ACS.
Median rent
$438/mo
Gross rent, including utilities where reported.
Monthly owner cost
$675/mo
Owner costs before individual loan terms.
Decision snapshot
Read this county in four signals.
Buy screen
2.6x
Median home value divided by local household income.
Rent burden
17.0%
Below 30% usually screens as less pressured.
Rent vs own
$237/mo
Median rent screens below owner cost.
Data confidence
2 notes
Crime coverage is partial, so safety comparisons need source context.
What Works
Lower rent
$438/mo is 45% below Illinois county median
Rent burden below pressure line
17.00% of renter income goes to rent, below the 30% burden threshold.
Low disaster-risk signal
Risk score is 85.1 out of 100, a stronger cross-check for long-term ownership costs.
What to Check
Lower income base
$62,500 median income is 4% below Illinois county median
Water quality cross-check
Water quality grade is F. Review water data before treating housing cost as the full story.
Crime data coverage
Crime data coverage is partial. Treat zero or low crime rates as incomplete until you check the source coverage.
Best Fit For
- Buyers comparing homes to local incomes
- Renters trying to keep rent below the burden threshold
- Long-term owners who care about disaster-risk exposure
Poor Fit For
- Households dependent on a deep local wage market
- Buyers focused only on purchase price and ignoring annual property tax
- Buyers who will not investigate local water systems before moving
- Anyone treating reported crime rates as complete without source context
County vs State vs National
The county number only matters after you see the benchmark. These comparisons show where Pope County is genuinely cheap, where it is average, and where the hidden cost may be.
| Metric | County | State | U.S. | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Median home value Lower usually helps affordability. | $165,300 | $126,000 | $281,900 | 31% pressure31% above Illinois county median |
Median gross rent Lower usually helps affordability. | $438 | $793 | $1,163 | 45% favorable45% below Illinois county median |
Monthly owner cost Lower usually helps affordability. | $675 | $853 | $1,672 | 21% favorable21% below Illinois county median |
Median household income | $62,500 | $65,189 | $74,755 | Near state median4% below Illinois county median |
Effective property-tax rate Lower usually helps affordability. | 1.02% | 2.00% | 1.02% | 49% favorable49% below Illinois county median |
Rent burden Lower usually helps affordability. | 17.00% | 26.00% | N/A | 35% favorable17.00% of renter income goes to rent. |
Income Fit
A low price only helps if local income can carry the monthly cost. This panel compares the county income base with rent and owner-cost thresholds.
Rent cushion
+$44,980
Median income minus rent threshold.
Owner cushion
+$33,571
Median income minus owner-cost threshold.
Affordability Advisory
This turns the raw housing numbers into income and buy-versus-rent screens.
Affordability verdict
Pope County offers affordable rental housing at a median of $438/month , about 8.4% of the typical household income here.
Rent vs own
The median rent in Pope County is $438/month, while owner costs run $675/month. Renting saves approximately $237/month.
Income needed
To afford the median rent without exceeding 30% of gross income, a household needs to earn approximately $17,520/year. For owner costs at the 28% rule, the required income is roughly $28,929/year. With a median household income of $62,500, most households can comfortably afford rent here. Notably, 17.0% of renter households in Pope County are cost-burdened, spending more than 30% of income on housing.
Regional context
Within Illinois, Pope County is less affordable than Gallatin County by roughly 12% ($438/mo vs $500/mo).
Better Counties to Compare
Similar counties are matched on home value, rent, income, and state context. This is more useful than a simple nearest-price list.
| County | Home Value | Rent | Why compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson County, IL | $148,200 | $634/mo | Same-state comparison near $148,200 home value and $634/mo rent. |
| Calhoun County, IL | $174,000 | $479/mo | Same-state comparison near $174,000 home value and $479/mo rent. |
| Shackelford County, TX | $176,900 | $485/mo | Out-of-state peer near $176,900 home value and $485/mo rent. |
| Shannon County, MO | $151,000 | $509/mo | Out-of-state peer near $151,000 home value and $509/mo rent. |
| Chouteau County, MT | $185,100 | $485/mo | Out-of-state peer near $185,100 home value and $485/mo rent. |
Data Confidence
- Crime coverage is partial, so safety comparisons need source context.
- Water-quality monitoring is based on 1 active site in recent WQP data.
Next Checks
Housing Questions for Pope County
Is Pope County affordable for buying a home?
Is renting or owning cheaper in Pope County?
How much income do you need for housing in Pope County?
What should I double-check before moving to Pope County?
Data: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023) — Informational only. Not financial or legal advice.