Belleville, IL — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Illinois·Belleville

St. Clair County · St. Louis · population 40,560

AffordabilityShrinking
Belleville, IL
Image: Wikipedia · Belleville, Illinois
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
67
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Belleville stands

At or near all-time high. home values up 4.3% in the last year. population shrinking 1.1% per year. rents up 7.3% in the last year.

Median home $158,998
1-year +4.3%
5-yr CAGR +4.8%
vs 5-yr peak -0.2%
Population -1.1%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-03$159k$88k$114k$140k$166k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
32/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
76/100
Strong remote-work fit
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,066/mo$684$907$1,130202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent126147100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 12.4
Buy

At a 12.4 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Belleville on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 12.4 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
72 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
64 · w22%
Distance from peak
89 · w18%
Population growth
28 · w16%
Rent YoY
85 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
63 · w10%
Long thesis

Belleville offers a $158,998 median home with +4.8% annualized 5-year appreciation. Affordability + positive trend is one of the better risk/reward setups in US residential — small downside, room to compound.

Short thesis

Belleville's population is shrinking 1.1% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — if people are leaving, the buyer pool is shrinking faster than the inventory. That eventually shows up in price.

About Belleville

Belleville is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, with an estimated population of 40,560. It anchors the St. Louis metro area. The population has contracted 1.1% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in Belleville is $158,998 as of 2026-04, up 4.3% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +4.8% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Belleville average $1,066 per month, up 7.3% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 67 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Affordable AND rising: median home $158,998 with positive recent direction — rare combination most of the country can’t offer.
●Quiet strength: +4.3% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.
●Held the highs: currently -0.2% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
●Hot rental market: rents up 7.3% YoY — landlords have pricing power, supports new investment math.

▼ Bear case

●Net out-migration: population shrinking 1.1% per year — services, schools, and tax base will follow.
●Rental squeeze: rents up 7.3% YoY — tenants face tough renewals. Affordability deteriorating fast.

About Belleville (Wikipedia)

Belleville is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. It is a southeastern suburb of St. Louis. The population was 42,404 at the 2020 census, making it the most populated city in the Metro East region of Greater St. Louis, and in all of Southern Illinois south of Springfield. Due to its proximity to Scott Air Force Base, the city has a significant population of military and federal civilian personnel. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Belleville and home to the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for St. Clair County right now.

NWS active alerts (IL)Illinois Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. St. Clair County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like Belleville

Oak Forest, IL67 · RisingBellwood, IL67 · RisingMatteson, IL67 · RisingHomewood, IL68 · Rising

Run the numbers for Belleville

ToolCan I afford Belleville?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Belleville rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Belleville to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolBelleville cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
33° / 18°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
85° / 64°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
189
~52% of year
Annual precip
38″ rain
22″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
High
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Low
Flood
Moderate

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the St. Louis area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Belleville listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
71%
Humid climate
Median household income
$78,400
Illinois state median
Top industries (state-level)
FinanceManufacturingHealthcare

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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