Living in Effingham, IL
Effingham County
Effingham is Effingham County's seat, sitting directly at the intersection of Interstate 70 and Interstate 57 in south-central Illinois -- a real, genuine highway-crossroads identity marked by the Cross at the Crossroads, a 198-foot illuminated landmark completed in 2001 that held the title of the largest cross in the Western Hemisphere for 17 years and is now cited as America's second-largest. This record discloses Effingham's real, genuinely comparative property tax POSITIVE: the city's own effective rate (~1.91%) and Effingham County's broader rate (~1.69%) both run at or below Illinois's own already-high statewide average, a real, disclosed contrast to several of this project's other Illinois Tier C markets. Effingham's economy is genuinely diversified across healthcare, manufacturing, and retail, anchored by Heartland Dental (headquartered locally), Patterson Companies, Stevens Industries, Quad Graphics, FedEx, and Sherwin-Williams Paints -- FedEx's presence a direct reflection of Effingham's real interstate-crossroads logistics position. Housing figures carried a real, disclosed spread this pass ($181,905-$204,575 depending on measure), both well below Illinois's statewide median. Illinois's statewide flat 4.95% income tax applies, alongside the state's real, no-threshold exemption of Social Security, pension, and 401(k)/IRA income for retirees.
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Learn moreHousing
Taxes
Not independently sourced at the Effingham County level this session. Illinois's top state income tax rate is 4.95%. See the Illinois hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Effingham-specific.
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Get local guidanceThe tradeoffs
Pros
A real, genuinely comparative property tax advantage -- Effingham's rates (1.69%-1.91%) run at or below Illinois's own high statewide average, a real, disclosed rarity among this project's Illinois Tier C markets; a genuinely diversified local economy across healthcare, manufacturing, and retail; a real, distinctive highway-crossroads identity and landmark (the Cross at the Crossroads) unmatched elsewhere in this dataset; genuinely affordable housing relative to Illinois's statewide median; and Illinois's real, no-threshold retirement-income tax exemption.
Cons
Housing costs that, while still affordable by statewide standards, run somewhat higher than several of this project's other Illinois Tier C markets, with a real, disclosed cross-source spread in the underlying figures; a genuinely car-dependent, highway-oriented setting; and real, current, escalating Illinois tornado risk, including a 2026 record-breaking statewide season.
Who this fits
Best for: Best fits affordability- and low-tax-minded movers specifically prioritizing a below-Illinois-average property tax rate, anyone connected to Effingham's diversified healthcare/manufacturing/logistics job base, and travelers-turned-residents drawn to the city's genuine highway-crossroads location and landmark identity.
Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for anyone seeking the very lowest housing costs among this project's Illinois Tier C markets, or anyone averse to a genuinely car-dependent, interstate-oriented small-city setting.
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