Coles County is a county in Illinois, United States, about 45 miles south of Champaign along
Interstate 57. It had a population of 46,863 at the 2020 census, an estimated 46,607 by 2025, and
covers 510 square miles (1,321 km2) centred near 39°31′N 88°13′W.
Charleston is the county seat and largest city; its postal code is 61920. The county holds 3
cities, 3 incorporated villages and 18 unincorporated places and census-designated places across
12 townships, and it runs on Central Time. Its FIPS code is 17029.
Towns & Villages in Coles County
Coles County has 24 named places on record: 6 incorporated cities and villages, 2
census-designated places (CDPs), and 16 unincorporated communities with no local government of
their own. CDP stands for census designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural
communities with no formal boundary.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston | City · seat | Charleston | 17,286 | 61920 |
| Mattoon | City | Mattoon | 16,870 | 61938 |
| Oakland | City | East Oakland | 739 | 61943 |
| Ashmore | Village | Ashmore | 637 | 61912 |
| Humboldt | Village | Humboldt | 361 | 61931 |
| Lerna | Village | Pleasant Grove | 226 | 62440 |
| Trilla | CDP | Pleasant Grove | 156 | 62440 |
| Janesville | CDP | — | 76 | 62435 |
| Bushton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Campbell | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Coles | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cooks Mills | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Diona | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Dorans | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Embarrass | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Etna | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Fairgrange | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Fuller | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hutton | Unincorp. | Hutton | — | — |
| Loxa | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Magnet | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Paradise | Unincorp. | Paradise | — | — |
| Rardin | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Wabash Point | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Janesville straddles the Coles-Cumberland county line; its 76 residents are split between the
two counties, and its ZIP code is administered from the Cumberland County side. Lerna and Trilla,
two miles apart in Pleasant Grove Township, share the single 62440 ZIP code issued out of Lerna’s
post office.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Charleston | 19,313 | Charleston |
| Mattoon | 14,668 | Mattoon |
| Lafayette | 4,765 | — |
| East Oakland | 1,229 | Oakland |
| Pleasant Grove | 1,227 | Lerna, Trilla |
| Humboldt | 1,161 | Humboldt |
| Ashmore | 1,158 | Ashmore |
| North Okaw | 1,004 | — |
| Paradise | 959 | Paradise |
| Hutton | 763 | Hutton |
| Seven Hickory | 312 | — |
| Morgan | 304 | — |
ZIP Codes
- 61920 — Charleston (also covers the Eastern Illinois University campus)
- 61938 — Mattoon
- 61943 — Oakland
- 61912 — Ashmore
- 61931 — Humboldt
- 62440 — Lerna (also serves Trilla)
- 62435 — Janesville (issued from the Cumberland County side)
Bushton, Campbell, Coles, Cooks Mills, Diona, Dorans, Embarrass, Etna, Fairgrange, Fuller,
Hutton, Loxa, Magnet, Paradise, Rardin and Wabash Point have no ZIP code of their own; mail there
is delivered under the nearest incorporated town’s code.
Geography
Coles County sits on flat to gently rolling glacial till plain in east-central Illinois, land
long since cleared for row-crop farming. Of its 510 square miles, 508 are land and 1.8 are water,
about 0.4 percent — low for the region. Lake Charleston, a 330-acre reservoir about two
miles southeast of Charleston, supplies the city’s drinking water and holds fishing and
boating access. Lake Mattoon, a 1,050-acre reservoir mostly in neighboring Shelby County, reaches
into the county’s southwestern corner and supplies Mattoon and Neoga with water.
Douglas County lies to the north, Edgar County to the northeast, Clark County to the southeast,
Cumberland County to the south, Shelby County to the southwest, and Moultrie County to the west.
Douglas County, Edgar County, Clark County and Moultrie County all have posts on this
site; Cumberland County and Shelby County do not yet.
Demographics
Coles County had a population of 46,863 at the 2020 census, and the latest county estimate
puts it at 46,607, a slight decline. Charleston and Mattoon are by far the two largest
communities, together holding about three-quarters of the county’s population. Median
household income runs $56,478 (2024 estimate), well below Illinois’s statewide figure of
$80,306 (2023 ACS). Population density works out to roughly 92 people per square mile of land,
low even for downstate Illinois, reflecting the county’s largely rural townships outside
the two main cities.
Economy & Local Life
Health care and social assistance employs the most workers in the county, about 3,649 people,
followed by educational services at 2,996 and retail trade at 2,859. Eastern Illinois University,
with roughly 8,100 students, anchors Charleston’s economy and job base. Sarah Bush Lincoln
Health System, headquartered in Mattoon, is the county’s largest health care employer. Lake
Land College, a community college founded in 1966, sits between the two cities. Mattoon is also
home to manufacturing plants for Bimbo Bakeries USA and Mars pet food, plus Rural King’s and
Consolidated Communications’s corporate offices. The county’s biggest annual event is
Bagelfest, a three-day festival in late July marking Mattoon’s history as the site of a
Lender’s Bagels plant, with a parade, carnival rides, concerts and the Big Bagel Breakfast.
History
Illinois organized Coles County on 25 December 1830, carving it out of Clark and Edgar
counties. It was named for Edward Coles, the state’s second governor, who served from 1822
to 1826. Thomas Lincoln, father of President Abraham Lincoln, settled in the county in 1831 and
died there in 1851; his grave is at the Shiloh Cemetery near Lerna.
Charleston hosted one of the seven Lincoln-Douglas debates on 18 September 1858, drawing a
crowd estimated at several thousand to the town square. On 26 May 1917, an F4 tornado tore
through Mattoon and Charleston the same afternoon, killing 101 people in Mattoon alone and 38 in
Charleston and destroying 220 homes — among the deadliest single-day tornado tolls in
Illinois history.
Getting There
Interstate 57 crosses the county’s eastern side, with an exit onto US 45 and IL 121 at
Mattoon. US 45 and IL 16 also run through the county, connecting Charleston and Mattoon directly.
- Champaign-Urbana — about 45 miles north
- Terre Haute, Indiana — about 45 miles east
- Effingham — about 25 miles south
- Decatur — about 45 miles northwest
University of Illinois Willard Airport in Savoy, roughly 45 miles north, is the nearest major
commercial airport. Coles County Memorial Airport, on Mattoon’s east side, handles general
aviation. Amtrak’s Illini and Saluki trains stop daily at the historic 1918 depot on Broadway
Avenue in Mattoon, with the City of New Orleans stopping there as a flag stop.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Coles County located?
It sits in east-central Illinois along Interstate 57, about 45 miles south of Champaign-Urbana,
bordered by Douglas, Edgar, Clark, Cumberland, Shelby and Moultrie counties.
What is the population of Coles County?
46,863 at the 2020 census, with an estimate near 46,607 as of 2025.
How big is Coles County?
510 square miles (1,321 km2), of which 508 square miles are land.
What is the county seat of Coles County?
Charleston is the county seat and the county’s largest city.
How many towns and cities are in Coles County?
Six incorporated places — Charleston, Mattoon, Oakland, Ashmore, Humboldt and Lerna —
plus two census-designated places and 16 unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes does Coles County use?
61920 for Charleston, 61938 for Mattoon, 61943 for Oakland, 61912 for Ashmore, 61931 for
Humboldt, and 62440 for Lerna and Trilla.
What is Coles County known for?
Eastern Illinois University, the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debate in Charleston, and Mattoon’s
Bagelfest, held every July since the 1986 arrival of the Lender’s Bagels plant.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Illinois.