Jobs, pay and daily life in Urbana, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Urbana is a city in Illinois with 39,341 residents. The median household earns $45,346 a year and the median rent is $972 a month, which is 25.7% of the median household income. It is part of the Champaign-Urbana, IL metropolitan area, where BLS counts 105,500 jobs.
How Urbana compares. Among the 100 largest places in Illinois, Urbana is #43 by population, #100 for household income (#1 = highest), #1 for long commutes (#1 = fewest), #99 for homeownership (#1 = highest). Its county, Champaign County, is #14 of 102 counties for average pay ($64,216).
Urbana has 39,341 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.3% of the population of Illinois. It covers 12 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 3,322 people per square mile. The median age is 26.1, 33% younger than the state median (26.1 against 39.0).
The median gross rent is $972 a month (rent plus utilities), 24% below the state median ($972 against $1,274). Over a year that is 25.7% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $184,900, which is 4.1 times the median household income ($45,346). 37.3% of households own their home, 44% below the state average (37.3% against 67.1%). A low ownership share points to a rental-heavy market with more apartments and shorter stays.
The Champaign-Urbana, IL metropolitan area has 105,500 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $50,700 a year, about the same as the national median ($50,700 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are educational instruction and library (11,940 jobs, median $62,320); office and administrative support (11,200 jobs, median $46,460); food preparation and serving related (10,360 jobs, median $31,850). The area is most specialised in educational instruction and library (1.9 times) and healthcare practitioners and technical (1.4 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($107,310) and healthcare practitioners and technical ($83,420). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Champaign County was 3.6%. 58.4% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Champaign County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 48.5% drive alone, 7.0% use public transit, 13.9% walk, 18.6% work from home. 2.4% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 88% below the state average (2.4% against 19.7%).
56.8% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 50% above the state share (56.8% against 37.9%). 21.2% of residents were born outside the United States, 44% above the state share (21.2% against 14.8%). The poverty rate is 28.0%, 137% above the state rate (28.0% against 11.8%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 75°F (24.1°C), and the coolest is Jan at 26°F (-3.1°C). About 1,028 mm (40 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Jun is the wettest month (118 mm) and Feb the driest (57 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Champaign (4 miles, rent 16% higher); Danville (31 miles, rent 13% lower); Decatur (43 miles, rent 13% lower); Bloomington (48 miles, rent 8% higher). Rent differences are against Urbana; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Illinois (1,066) →State guide: IllinoisCountry guideChampaign CountyIllinois rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 1,066 federal postings open in Illinois (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in Illinois →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | 3,520 | 1.54 | $90,230 | $76,510 | $121,750 | -8% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 2,890 | 1.10 | $31,300 | $31,200 | $35,530 | +0% |
| Cashiers | 2,500 | 1.19 | $32,130 | $31,200 | $36,750 | -2% |
| Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary | 2,480 | 22.30 | $50,110 | $31,850 | $81,280 | +17% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 2,310 | 1.54 | $39,000 | $31,230 | $51,480 | +6% |
| General and Operations Managers | 2,260 | 0.95 | $96,610 | $50,270 | $211,660 | -9% |
| Retail Salespersons | 2,180 | 0.83 | $33,870 | $31,200 | $46,550 | -4% |
| Office Clerks, General | 2,180 | 1.30 | $48,800 | $33,360 | $63,340 | +8% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 2,060 | 1.07 | $35,400 | $31,210 | $45,680 | -5% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 1,960 | 0.98 | $41,970 | $32,760 | $52,830 | +4% |
| Nursing Assistants | 1,560 | 1.58 | $39,890 | $37,820 | $48,790 | -6% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 1,500 | 0.97 | $31,200 | $31,200 | $44,760 | -11% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 1,480 | 0.84 | $41,280 | $31,700 | $68,250 | -8% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 1,290 | 1.24 | $55,260 | $36,070 | $77,640 | +11% |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 1,260 | 1.32 | $42,730 | $32,580 | $54,830 | -4% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 1,220 | 1.05 | $48,260 | $32,800 | $68,850 | +2% |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | 1,080 | 1.12 | $32,220 | $31,200 | $44,200 | -12% |
| Bartenders | 1,070 | 2.09 | $31,200 | $31,200 | $51,430 | -9% |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | 990 | 1.06 | $59,650 | $41,230 | $78,870 | -7% |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 970 | 1.01 | $36,040 | $31,410 | $44,990 | -4% |
These figures are for the whole Champaign-Urbana, IL metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $50,700 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.5% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 49.7% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 11.5% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 10.5% |
| Retail trade | 7.6% |
| Manufacturing | 5.9% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 3.1% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 2.6% |
| Other services | 2.5% |
| Public administration | 2.4% |
| Information | 1.4% |
| Construction | 1.3% |
| Wholesale trade | 1.0% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.5% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Urbana lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champaign County | 208,741 | $15,450 million | $74,013 | 94,777 | 4,160 | $64,216 | -0.9% | 3.6% | 110,798 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 16,021 | 23.8% | $83,961 | 1.18 |
| Retail trade | 9,246 | 13.7% | $33,889 | 0.98 |
| Accommodation and food services | 9,017 | 13.4% | $23,750 | 1.05 |
| Manufacturing | 7,082 | 10.5% | $62,403 | 0.91 |
| Construction | 3,558 | 5.3% | $74,012 | 0.72 |
| Professional and technical services | 3,206 | 4.8% | $84,505 | 0.49 |
| Administrative and waste services | 3,057 | 4.5% | $46,447 | 0.55 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 2,812 | 4.2% | $48,605 | 0.70 |
| Finance and insurance | 2,410 | 3.6% | $86,656 | 0.63 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 2,294 | 3.4% | $45,943 | 0.80 |
| Wholesale trade | 2,057 | 3.1% | $134,560 | 0.55 |
| Information | 1,820 | 2.7% | $87,932 | 1.02 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 1,666 | 2.5% | $21,468 | 1.05 |
| Real estate and rental | 1,452 | 2.2% | $57,331 | 0.99 |
| Educational services | 978 | 1.5% | $32,224 | 0.50 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 371 | 0.6% | $64,684 | 0.48 |
| Utilities | 192 | 0.3% | $108,694 | 0.53 |
| Management of companies | 97 | 0.1% | $150,369 | 0.06 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 15 | 0.0% | $57,646 | 0.04 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 48.5% |
| Public transit | 7.0% |
| Walk | 13.9% |
| Work from home | 18.6% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 2.4% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $45,346 |
| Income per person | $32,592 |
| Median gross rent per month | $972 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 25.7% |
| Median home value | $184,900 |
| Homeowners | 37.3% |
| Poverty rate | 28.0% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 92.7 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $50,700 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Flat 4.95%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 26.1 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 94.1% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 56.8% |
| Born abroad | 21.2% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 58.4% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -3.1 | 26 | 59 |
| Feb | -1.5 | 29 | 57 |
| Mar | 4.9 | 41 | 73 |
| Apr | 11.6 | 53 | 103 |
| May | 17.3 | 63 | 114 |
| Jun | 22.3 | 72 | 118 |
| Jul | 24.1 | 75 | 106 |
| Aug | 23.5 | 74 | 83 |
| Sep | 19.7 | 67 | 78 |
| Oct | 12.4 | 54 | 93 |
| Nov | 5.4 | 42 | 74 |
| Dec | -0.5 | 31 | 70 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champaign | IL | 4 mi | 89,996 | $56,118 | $1,123 |
| Danville | IL | 31 mi | 28,595 | $45,957 | $846 |
| Decatur | IL | 43 mi | 69,815 | $51,592 | $845 |
| Bloomington | IL | 48 mi | 78,907 | $77,384 | $1,050 |
| Normal | IL | 51 mi | 53,569 | $64,785 | $965 |
| Terre Haute | IN | 62 mi | 58,427 | $43,126 | $922 |
| Crawfordsville | IN | 69 mi | 16,491 | $55,033 | $857 |
| Kankakee | IL | 71 mi | 23,996 | $47,514 | $1,023 |
| West Lafayette | IN | 71 mi | 45,159 | $34,891 | $1,225 |
| Lafayette | IN | 73 mi | 71,159 | $53,716 | $1,079 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
39,341 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$972 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 25.7% of the median household income.
$45,346 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
3.6% (BLS county, Champaign County (latest month 2026M09)).
Illinois. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.