Editing Cairo, Illinois (section)

===Current status===
[[File:Cairobridge.jpg|thumb|The Cairo Levee underpass]]
[[File:GEMblockCairoIL.jpg|thumb|right|The mostly abandoned Historic Downtown Cairo.]]
[[File:Ruined buildings in Cairo, IL.png|thumb|Commerce Street, with mostly ruined buildings.]]
With the decline in river trade, as has been the case in many other cities on the Mississippi, Cairo has suffered a marked decline in its economy and population.<ref name="knowles" /> Its highest population was 15,203 in 1920;<ref>[http://sanborn.umi.com/il/1760/dateid-000007.htm?CCSI=105n Sanborn, "Cairo, IL"], University of Michigan</ref> in 2020 it had 1,733 residents, about an 89% loss of population from its peak a century earlier. The city has decreased in population for eight consecutive [[United States Census Bureau|US census reports]] from 1950 to 2020.

The city faces many significant socio-economic challenges for the remaining population, including poverty, crime, issues in education, unemployment and rebuilding its tax base.

The closure of the Elmwood and McBride [[Public housing|housing projects]] was announced by the federal government in 2017. In August 2017, [[Ben Carson]], the [[United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development|Secretary of Housing and Urban Development]] at the time, visited the city. Ten families had found new housing, but an estimated 400 people will be affected{{update inline|date=May 2023}} by the closure.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/08/09/542327211/carson-promises-to-help-residents-of-housing-projects-his-department-is-shutting|title=Carson Promises To Help Residents Of Housing Projects His Department Is Shutting Down|last=Siegler|first=Kurt|date=August 9, 2017|work=National Public Radio|access-date=2018-05-04|language=en}}</ref>

The community and region are working to stop abandonment of the city. They are restoring some architectural landmarks, and plan to develop heritage tourism focusing on the city's history and relationship to the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. Other cities have used such strategies to attract visitors and build new businesses to their communities.

A community clinic offers medical and dental care, and several mental health services. Local media include the ''Cairo Citizen'' weekly newspaper. Radio station [[WKRO (AM)|WKRO]] is licensed to Cairo.