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Compare towns

Bartlett vs Elgin

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: household income (+48% in Bartlett) and trails (2.8× in Elgin).

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Bartlett, ILAn outdoors townIllinois · 40,501 people
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Elgin, ILOne of the healthiest townsIllinois · 114,934 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 $800 more a month in Bartlett

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.

Bartlett$3,220/mo
Typical home $443K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.43% · or rent about $1,883/mo · Housing →
Elgin$2,420/mo
Typical home $340K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.27% · or rent about $1,361/mo · Housing →

The difference: $800 a month, about $9,600 a year, between Bartlett and Elgin.

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.

Report cards

Bartlett places higher on 11 of 21 IL lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Illinois ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Where they are

Bartlett and Elgin share a border

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

BartlettElginBartlettElgin
Bartlett ↔ Elgin9.3 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
1,245 Bartlett residents work in Elgin (5.8% of its workers)
773 Elgin residents work in Bartlett (1.5% of its workers)
Work & commute in Bartlett →
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
BartlettElgin
Snow a year46″32″
January low—14°F
July high—84°F
Growing season (days)—174d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)29th50th
Outdoors & history
BartlettElgin
Trails7 mi20 mi
Conserved land17.2%7.1%
Settled18911835
National Register places—12
Archive photos2412
Famous people born here6—
Community
BartlettElgin
Library hours a week68 hrs71 hrs
Colleges in town—2
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.

BartlettElgin
People
Population 40,501Lowest 114,934Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -0.2%Lowest +6.1%Highest
Median age 41±0.8Highest 5% above IL 36.7±1.3Lowest 6% below IL
Kids under 18 23.2%±2Lowest IL: 21.8% 25.3%±1.4Highest IL: 21.8%
Elgin and Bartlett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 15.9%±1.4Highest IL: 17% 13.5%±1Lowest IL: 17%
Bartlett and Elgin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 49.5%Highest IL: 37.8% 27%Lowest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.7%±0.7Lowest IL: 6.3% 6.1%±0.6Highest IL: 6.3%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $133,240±$6kHighest 60% above IL $90,282±$3kLowest 8% above IL
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $375,700±$10kHighest 43% above IL $273,000±$6kLowest 4% above IL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,883±$226Highest 48% above IL $1,361±$65Lowest 7% above IL
Property taxmedian, yearly $9,136Highest 72% above IL $6,184Lowest 17% above IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 50.9%±12.7Highest IL: 47.9% 49%±5.1Lowest IL: 47.9%
Bartlett and Elgin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 4.2%Lowest IL: 11.8% 9.8%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 89.2%Highest IL: 67.1% 71.9%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1992Highest 21 yrs newer than IL 1977Lowest 6 yrs newer than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 30 minHighest 7% above IL 28 minLowest about the IL average
Work from home 20.5%±2.8Highest IL: 15.9% 12.8%±1.4Lowest IL: 15.9%
Work in townworking residents 4.8%Lowest 19.8%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 12.8 miLowest 14.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.40Lowest 1.01Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Chicago (15%)Chicago (11%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 6% work in Elgin1% work in Bartlett
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 17.2%Highest 7.1%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 7.0 miLowest 19.7 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miLowest 0.5 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 32Lowest 76Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 72.1Lowest 76.9Highest
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.

Bartlett neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bartlett’s Town Square.

Elgin neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Elgin’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Bartlett

Towns like Bartlett

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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