Centralia is a very small city located in the state of Missouri. With a population of 4,728 people and two associated neighborhoods, Centralia is the 151st largest community in Missouri.

A relatively large number of people in Centralia telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 10.77% 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.

As is often the case in a small city, Centralia doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.

In terms of college education, Centralia is substantially better educated than the typical community in the nation, which has 21.84% of the adults holding a bachelor's degree or graduate degree: 32.35% of adults in Centralia have a college degree.

The per capita income in Centralia in 2022 was $26,812, which is middle income relative to Missouri, and lower middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $107,248 for a family of four. However, Centralia contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

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. Important ancestries of people in Centralia include German, English, Irish, European, and Bulgarian.

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