Compare towns
Basco vs Iola 171 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (2.2× in Basco) and typical home built (37 yrs in Basco).
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Iola, IL A small town of 90 Illinois · 90 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.
Basco A small town of 59
Quiet strengths Basco doesn’t stand out on the data we have Neighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Basco →
Iola A small town of 90
Quiet strengths Iola doesn’t stand out on the data we have Neighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Iola →
The biggest differences Where they differ most 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 about the same each month 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 payment3.5% 10% 20% Rate
Basco $290 /mo
Typical home $43K (Census) · tax rate 1.80% · Housing →
Iola $400 /mo
Typical home $65K (Census) · tax rate 1.08% · Housing →
The difference: $110 a month , about $1,400 a year , between Iola and Basco.
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.
Outdoors & history
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 171 miles apart Straight-line miles between town centers.
Basco ↔ Iola 171 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.
Raising kids Affordability Owning a home Short commute Working from home Younger crowd Settled, older crowd Growing town Outdoorsy Walkable streets
Population
59 Lowest 90 Highest
Median age
48.2 ±31.4 Highest 24% above IL 44 ±33.7 Lowest 13% above IL
Kids under 18
18.6% ±55.8 Highest IL: 21.8% 17.8% ±27.3 Lowest IL: 21.8%
Age 65+
20.3% ±49.9 Highest IL: 17% 14.4% ±35.8 Lowest IL: 17%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+
10% Highest IL: 37.8% 2.8% Lowest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents
0% ±31.2 Lowest IL: 6.3% 1.1% ±14.6 Highest IL: 6.3%
Household incomemedian
$40,000 ±$25k Lowest 52% below IL $46,250 ±$44k Highest 45% below IL
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied
$42,500 ±$38k Lowest 84% below IL $65,000 ±$30k Highest 75% below IL
Property taxmedian, yearly
$763 Highest 86% below IL $700 Lowest 87% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent
— 0% ±100 IL: 47.9%
Below poverty line
16.9% Highest IL: 11.8% 15.6% Lowest IL: 11.8%
Homeownersof occupied homes
78.1% Lowest IL: 67.1% 83.3% Highest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year
1938 Lowest 33 yrs older than IL 1975 Highest 4 yrs newer than IL
Average commuteone way
25 min Lowest 11% below IL 27 min Highest about the IL average
Work from home
0% ±50 IL: 15.9% 0% ±25 IL: 15.9%
Work in townworking residents
0% 0%
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line
28.8 mi Highest 21.8 mi Lowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub
0.23 Highest 0.13 Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town
Macomb (14%) Louisville (15%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others
Few work in Iola Few work in Basco
Conserved landshare of the town
0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles
0.0 mi Lowest 0.5 mi Highest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi
0.0 mi Lowest 0.5 mi Highest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map
0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure
44.6 Highest 19.9 Lowest
“±” Census margin of error ACS 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.
Basco or Iola: which would you pick? → What’s it really like to live in Basco? → Moving to Basco: what should I know? →
Your question goes to Basco’s Town Square.
Iola or Basco: which would you pick? → What’s it really like to live in Iola? → Moving to Iola: what should I know? →
Your question goes to Iola’s Town Square.
Add a town Set another town beside Basco and Iola One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.
Towns like Basco 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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