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Berkeley vs Hillside

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (3.6× in Hillside) and median age (11.9 yrs in Hillside).

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Berkeley, ILOne of the healthiest townsIllinois · 5,199 people
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Hillside, ILOne of the healthiest townsIllinois · 8,084 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 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 · Report cards

Hillside places higher on 10 of 22 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

Berkeley and Hillside share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

BerkeleyHillsideBerkeleyHillside
Berkeley ↔ Hillside1.6 miles apart · They share a border
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.

Berkeley$2,270/mo
Typical home $309K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.52% · or rent about $1,434/mo · Housing →
Hillside$2,190/mo
Typical home $297K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.55% · or rent about $1,320/mo · Housing →

The difference: $80 a month, about $1,000 a year, between Berkeley and Hillside.

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
BerkeleyHillside
Snow a year42″42″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)47th51st
Outdoors & history
BerkeleyHillside
Trails0 mi1 mi
Conserved land1.3%1.6%
Archive photos1212
Famous people born here—4
Community
BerkeleyHillside
Library hours a week54 hrs58 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

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.

BerkeleyHillside
People
Population 5,199Lowest 8,084Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2.5%Highest +2%Lowest
Median age 33.6±5Lowest 14% below IL 45.5±4.7Highest 17% above IL
Kids under 18 26.9%±9.3Highest IL: 21.8% 16.5%±4.7Lowest IL: 21.8%
Berkeley and Hillside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 17%±5.2Lowest IL: 17% 17.5%±4.3Highest IL: 17%
Hillside and Berkeley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 18.6%Lowest IL: 37.8% 23.8%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.9%±2.1Lowest IL: 6.3% 7.5%±2.9Highest IL: 6.3%
Hillside and Berkeley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $85,823±$14kHighest about the IL average $72,320±$13kLowest 13% below IL
Berkeley and Hillside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $246,900±$21kHighest 6% below IL $246,800±$14kLowest 6% below IL
Berkeley and Hillside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,434±$210Highest 13% above IL $1,320±$186Lowest 4% above IL
Berkeley and Hillside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $6,224Lowest 17% above IL $6,302Highest 19% above IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 74.2%±55.1Highest IL: 47.9% 50.3%±20.1Lowest IL: 47.9%
Berkeley and Hillside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 17.5%Highest IL: 11.8% 6.6%Lowest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 82%Highest IL: 67.1% 65.3%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1955Lowest 16 yrs older than IL 1961Highest 10 yrs older than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minLowest about the IL average 29 minHighest 5% above IL
Work from home 14.5%±9.5Lowest IL: 15.9% 19.1%±4.3Highest IL: 15.9%
Hillside and Berkeley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.6%Lowest 3.7%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.8 miLowest 10.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.52Lowest 1.86Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Chicago (27%)Chicago (28%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in HillsideFew work in Berkeley
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.3%Lowest 1.6%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 1.4 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.4 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 3Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 67.4Highest 60.6Lowest
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.

Berkeley neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Best View in Berkeley

1 neighbor in Berkeley can answer.

Hillside neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Hillside’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Berkeley and Hillside

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Bordering Berkeley

Towns like Berkeley

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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