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Ava vs Ora Township

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (26.9× in Ava) and home values (3.8× in Ora Township).

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Ava, ILHomes around $184KIllinois · 561 people
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Ora Township, ILA regional job hubJackson County · 387 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $840 more a month in Ora Township

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Ava$1,170/mo
Typical home $184K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.36% · or rent about $492/mo · Housing →
Ora Township$2,010/mo
Typical home $343K (Census) · tax rate 0.76% · Housing →

The difference: $840 a month, about $10,100 a year, between Ora Township and Ava.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Where they are

Ava and Ora Township share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

AvaOra TownshipAvaOra Township
Ava ↔ Ora Township4.2 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
9 Ava residents work in Ora Township (4.5% of its workers)
Work & commute in Ava →
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
AvaOra Township
Snow a year10″10″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)78th78th
Outdoors & history
AvaOra Township
Trails0 mi—
Conserved land0%—
Famous people born here1—
Community
AvaOra Township
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

AvaOra Township
People
Population 561Highest 387Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -15.4%Lowest -4.3%Highest
Median age 35.7±9.6Lowest 8% below IL 50.1±11.7Highest 28% above IL
Ora Township and Ava are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 28.5%±7.6Highest IL: 21.8% 19.1%±15.4Lowest IL: 21.8%
Ava and Ora Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 22.5%±9.5Lowest IL: 17% 26.1%±7.5Highest IL: 17%
Ora Township and Ava are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 5.1%Lowest IL: 37.8% 24%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.9%±2.7Highest IL: 6.3% 0.5%±3.5Lowest IL: 6.3%
Ava and Ora Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $55,368±$8kLowest 34% below IL $95,375±$34kHighest 14% above IL
Ora Township and Ava are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $90,500±$9kLowest 66% below IL $342,600±$111kHighest 30% above IL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $492±$358 61% below IL —
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,227Lowest 77% below IL $2,592Highest 51% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 17.9%±18.5Highest IL: 47.9% 0%±100Lowest IL: 47.9%
Ava and Ora Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 7.5%Highest IL: 11.8% 2.3%Lowest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 82.2%Lowest IL: 67.1% 95.1%Highest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1974Lowest 3 yrs newer than IL 1993Highest 22 yrs newer than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 27 minLowest about the IL average 33 minHighest 17% above IL
Work from home 0.9%±1.3Lowest IL: 15.9% 7.3%±8.9Highest IL: 15.9%
Ora Township and Ava are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 2%Lowest 5%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 17.3 miHighest 15.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.41Lowest 1.79Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Carbondale (12%)Carbondale (10%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 5% work in Ora TownshipFew work in Ava
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 0.3 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 78.0Highest 2.9Lowest
Illinois average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Ava neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ava’s Town Square.

Ora Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ora Township’s Town Square.

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Bordering Ava

Towns like Ava

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Illinois towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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