Charleston tops nation in income drop

CHARLESTON -- The east-central Illinois community of Charleston has seen the biggest drop in median household income among small-and-medium-sized U.S. cities.

New census data show median household income has fallen 31 percent since 1999 to just under $21,000 in Charleston, the home of Eastern Illinois University.

The data, which is being released Tuesday, is the first detailed economic, social and demographic information for small- and medium-sized cities since the 2000 census.

It was collected from 2005 through 2007 for communities with at least 20,000 residents.

Small and medium-sized cities in the Midwest were hit hardest, with unemployment rates doubling or tripling in communities throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.