Skip to content

TownTapestry

Find a town

Guest, Sign inJoin

Compare towns

Avoca vs Mattoon

141 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (11.4× in Mattoon) and trails (4.3× in Avoca).

×

Avoca, WIA small town of 473Wisconsin · 473 people

×

Mattoon, WIA small town of 457Wisconsin · 457 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.

AvocaA small town of 473

Quiet strengthsAvoca doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.

All about Avoca →

MattoonA small town of 457

Quiet strengthsMattoon doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.

All about Mattoon →

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.

Jobs per worker11.4×

Mattoon is more of a job hub

Mattoon 0.57Avoca 0.05

Avoca has more miles of trail

Avoca 2.6 miMattoon 0.6 mi

Typical home built37 yrs

Mattoon’s homes are older

Avoca 1975Mattoon 1938

Property tax bill+41%

Tax bills are bigger in Avoca

Avoca $2,029Mattoon $1,441

Average commute11 min

Mattoon has the shorter commute

Avoca 31 minMattoon 21 min

Conserved land+8.1 pts

Avoca has more conserved land

Avoca 8.1%Mattoon 0%

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $200 more a month in Avoca

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.

Down paymentRate%

Avoca$770/mo

Typical home $115K (Census) · tax rate 1.76% · or rent about $908/mo · Housing →

Mattoon$570/mo

Typical home $87K (Census) · tax rate 1.66% · or rent about $960/mo · Housing →

The difference: $200 a month, about $2,400 a year, between Avoca and Mattoon.

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.

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

AvocaMattoon

Snow a year40″54″

January low8°F 4°F

July high82°F 78°F

Growing season (days)154d 139d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)63rd 27th

Outdoors & history

AvocaMattoon

Trails3 mi —

Conserved land8.1%—

Archive photos3 4

Community

AvocaMattoon

Library hours a week—8 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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.

Where they are

141 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

AvocaWI MattoonWI

Avoca ↔ Mattoon141 miles apart

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.

Only big differences vs Wisconsin average

AvocaMattoon

People

Population 473Highest 457Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -13.2% WI: +3.6% —

Median age 45.6±9.6Highest 13% above WI 43.5±9.6Lowest 8% above WI

Avoca and Mattoon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 22.4%±7.3Lowest WI: 21.4% 24.3%±9.6Highest WI: 21.4%

Mattoon and Avoca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 15%±4.1Lowest WI: 18.5% 18.6%±6.5Highest WI: 18.5%

Mattoon and Avoca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 3.7%Lowest WI: 33.4% 7.5%Highest WI: 33.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0.6%±2.3Lowest WI: 5.8% 2%±1.7Highest WI: 5.8%

Mattoon and Avoca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $53,750±$15kLowest 31% below WI $68,750±$14kHighest 11% below WI

Mattoon and Avoca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $115,400±$24kHighest 57% below WI $86,700±$14kLowest 67% below WI

Avoca and Mattoon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $908±$215Lowest 16% below WI $960±$114Highest 12% below WI

Mattoon and Avoca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,029Highest 46% below WI $1,441Lowest 62% below WI

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 21.6%±44.7Lowest WI: 43.7% 65.6%±50.1Highest WI: 43.7%

Mattoon and Avoca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 19.5%Highest WI: 10.6% 19.1%Lowest WI: 10.6%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 79.6%Highest WI: 67.8% 77.4%Lowest WI: 67.8%

Typical home builtmedian year 1975Highest same as WI 1938Lowest 37 yrs older than WI

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 31 minHighest 41% above WI 21 minLowest 7% below WI

Work from home 7.2%±4.1Highest WI: 13.1% 3.6%±2.9Lowest WI: 13.1%

Avoca and Mattoon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 0.4%Lowest 2.4%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 19.8 miLowest 28.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.05Lowest 0.57Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Dodgeville (14%)Antigo (8%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in MattoonFew work in Avoca

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 8.1%Highest 0%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 2.6 miHighest 0.6 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.1 miHighest 0.4 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Highest 0Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 25.6Highest 21.0Lowest

Wisconsin 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.

Avoca neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Avoca’s Town Square.

Mattoon neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mattoon’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Avoca and Mattoon

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Avoca

Pulaski374 people · $287K homes

Orion424 people · $236K homes

Towns like Avoca

Prairie Farm423 people · $139K homes

Glen Haven411 people · $144K homes

Boscobel510 people · $157K homes

Hancock471 people · $155K homes

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.