[5] Illinois Route 33 passes through the center of the city as Main Street, leading east 7 miles (11 km) to Palestine near the Indiana border and west 24 miles (39 km) to Newton.

[7] As of the 2020 census[10] there were 7,150 people, 2,611 households, and 1,605 families residing in the city.

The racial makeup of the city was 83.83% White, 7.83% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 3.09% from other races, and 4.25% from two or more races.

33.55% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.92% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Major employers in the town include a refinery owned by Marathon Petroleum Company[11] and a chocolate factory for the Heath bar, first made in 1914,[12] now distributed by The Hershey Company.