Wamac: Housing & Real Estate
Housing in Wamac centers on a median value of $20,100 (estimated market value runs 22% higher at $24,558), with median rent $787 (about the same as Washington County median $818; 1.6× below Illinois median $1,274). Homeownership rate: 70.2%. That's 7.7× below the Washington County median ($155,700); 13.1× below the Illinois median ($263,300). Market is cold. Vacancy rate 15.4%. New construction makes up 5.5% of stock. A municipal building code is in effect.
- 0.6× annual income — home value vs. household income (vs Illinois 4.0×).
- 2.1 years to break even renting at the median (vs Illinois 18y).
- 4-BR rent is 1.9× a studio — rent gradient by unit size.
- Median rent 35% below HUD 2-BR FMR — local market vs federal subsidy benchmark.
Home Values & Rent
Median home value $20,100 — 0.1× the Illinois median ($314,700). Median rent $787/month. homeownership rate 70.2% — above the U.S. share of ~65%.
| Affordability · Home Price To Income | 0.6× |
|---|---|
| Affordability · Home Affordability | affordable |
| Affordability · Rent Pct Income | 26.5% |
| Affordability · Rent Affordability | moderate |
| Affordability · Pct Severely Rent Burdened | 42.2% |
| Affordability · Poverty Rate | 27.7% |
| Affordability · Property Tax Pct Income | 1.1% |
| Fair Market Rent · Studio rent | $955 (vs Illinois $1,480) |
| Fair Market Rent · One-bedroom rent | $995 (vs Illinois $1,581) |
| Fair Market Rent · Two-bedroom rent | $1,218 (vs Illinois $1,781) |
| Fair Market Rent · Three-bedroom rent | $1,568 (vs Illinois $2,294) |
| Fair Market Rent · Four-bedroom rent | $1,812 (vs Illinois $2,653) |
| Fair Market Rent · HUD FMR area | St. Louis, MO-IL HUD Metro FMR Area |
| Fair Market Rent · Fiscal year | FY2026 |
| Home Value Estimate | $24,558 |
| Median Home Value | $20,100 (vs Illinois $314,700) |
| Median Rent | $787 (vs Illinois $1,440) |
Sources: HUD FMR FY2026 · Census ACS 5-Year 2023, B25077 · Census ACS 5-Year 2023 · Refreshed 2026-04-12
Tenure & Occupancy
Owner-occupied vs renter-occupied housing units, plus vacancy rates.
| Housing Market · Market temperature | cold |
|---|---|
| Housing Market · Vacancy rate | 15.4% |
| Housing Market · New construction (% of stock) | 5.5% |
| Housing Market · Price Appreciation 2Yr | -8.2% |
Utilities
Electricity, water, and broadband infrastructure serving residents. Broadband percentages reflect the share of premises that can subscribe to service at the listed speed (FCC Form 477).
Systems (5)
| Broadband · % of premises with 25/3 Mbps broadband | 100.0% (at Illinois median) |
|---|---|
| Broadband · % of premises with 100/20 Mbps broadband | 100.0% (at Illinois median) |
| Broadband · % of premises with 250/25 Mbps broadband | 100.0% (at Illinois median) |
| Broadband · % of premises with 1 Gbps / 100 Mbps broadband | 90.6% (vs Illinois 76.8%) |
| Broadband · Broadband-capable premises | 689 |
| Electricity · Electricity rate (¢/kWh) | 15.87¢/kWh |
| Electricity · Customers | 5392477 |
| Electricity · Revenue Millions | $7,118 |
| Electricity · Year | 2024 |
| Mobile Broadband · 3G mobile coverage | 0.000000000 |
| Mobile Broadband · 4G mobile coverage | 1.000000000 (at Illinois median) |
| Mobile Broadband · 5G mobile coverage | 1.000000000 (at Illinois median) |
| Mobile Home Parks Detail · County total | 1 |
Sources: FCC BDC Jun 2025 · EIA Annual Retail Sales 2023 · FCC BDC Mobile 2024 · HIFLD / IRS BMF · Refreshed 2026-04-12
Other
| Homeownership Rate | 70.2% (vs Illinois 66.4%) |
|---|---|
| Median Year Built | 1965 |
Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 · Refreshed 2026-04-12