Because Edwardsville has a very large number of students who are 18 years or older and in college, it is thought of as a college town. This has a major influence on local Edwardsville lifestyle, entertainment, and culture in general. Life in Edwardsville is very much tied to the academic calendar: when students return from the summer break in the fall, one will notice them out and about, buying groceries, out with friends, and generally getting re-acquainted with each other. In Edwardsville people study hard and play hard, and there is ample opportunity to do both.
Edwardsville, while not large, also appears to be attractive to some younger, educated professionals, who help shape the character of the city.
If knowledge is power, Edwardsville is a pretty powerful place. 56.24% of the adults in Edwardsville have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.
The per capita income in Edwardsville in 2018 was $44,305, which is wealthy relative to Illinois, and upper middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $177,220 for a family of four. However, Edwardsville contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
Edwardsville is a somewhat ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Edwardsville home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Edwardsville residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Edwardsville include German, Irish, English, Italian, and French.
The most common language spoken in Edwardsville is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Other Asian languages.
