West Frankfort is a city in Franklin County, Illinois, home to about 7,118 people across 5.0 square miles. Its ZIP code is 62896.
Homes sold for a median of $89 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.
Mostly West Frankfort; also Freeman Spur
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside West Frankfort. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up West Frankfort’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL)98 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois (MWA)11 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | St. Louis, MO88 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Chicago, IL280 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of West Frankfort; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
West Frankfort had 7,275 residents in the 2020 census, down 11% since 2000.
It’s the 280th largest of 1,450 towns in Illinois by population.
Franklin County grew from 19,675 residents in 1900 to 37,804 in 2020.
Franklin County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 88°F in summer, and winter lows average 22°F. About 46.1 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Rend Lake Dam, IL weather station (10 miles away).
6,940 jobs at 696 businesses in Franklin County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
287 doctors and other health care providers list an office in West Frankfort.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 2 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 1 |
| Dentists | 2 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 16 |
| Mental health providers | 250 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 6 |
| Optometrists | 3 |
| Chiropractors | 7 |
| Pharmacies | 4 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (1 nearby)
Libraries (1 nearby)
Theaters and performance venues
Counts are within about 1.5 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Established in 1810.
Colleges and universities
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by Frankfort CUSD 168. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denning Elementary SchoolWest Frankfort | Pre-K–2 | 439 | Public | 0.9 mi |
| Frankfort Intermediate SchoolWest Frankfort | 3–6 | 447 | Public | 1.3 mi |
| Central Jr High SchoolWest Frankfort | 7–8 | 215 | Public | 1.3 mi |
| Frankfort Comm High SchoolWest Frankfort | 9–12 | 416 | Public | 0.5 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St John the Baptist Catholic Elementary SchoolWest Frankfort | Pre-K–8 | 29 | Roman Catholic | 0.6 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Freeman Spur.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.