Centralia is a somewhat small city located in the state of Illinois. With a population of 11,931 people and five associated neighborhoods, Centralia is the 197th largest community in Illinois.

A relatively large number of people in Centralia telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 7.57% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Centralia spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 17.98 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the city are less than they would otherwise be.

The percentage of adults in Centralia who are college-educated is close to the national average for all communities of 21.84%: 18.22% of the adults in Centralia have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree.

The per capita income in Centralia in 2022 was $27,687, which is lower middle income relative to Illinois and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $110,748 for a family of four. However, Centralia contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Centralia is a very ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Centralia home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Centralia residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Centralia include German, Irish, English, Italian, and Scots-Irish.

The most common language spoken in Centralia is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Polish.