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Compare towns

Bethany vs Cobden

148 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (2× in Bethany) and street grid (2.4× in Bethany).

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Bethany, ILHomes around $165KIllinois · 1,176 people
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Cobden, ILHomes around $198KIllinois · 1,170 people
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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.

BethanyHomes around $165K
Housing$165K typical home45% below the IL typical home HealthHealthier than 71%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Bethany →
CobdenHomes around $198K
Housing$198K typical home33% below the IL typical home SchoolsBetter than 30%of IL districts All about Cobden →
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.

Property tax bill2×
Tax bills are bigger in Bethany
Bethany $1,885Cobden $964
Street grid2.4×
Bethany has the more walkable street grid
Bethany 101Cobden 42.6
Jobs per worker+76%
Cobden is more of a job hub
Cobden 0.72Bethany 0.41
★ 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.

Bethany$1,110/mo
Typical home $165K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.77% · or rent about $1,002/mo · Housing →
Cobden$1,200/mo
Typical home $198K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.98% · Housing →

The difference: $90 a month, about $1,100 a year, between Cobden and Bethany.

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

Grades and rankings, side by side

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.

Schools
–BethanyNot graded CCobdenBetter than 30% of districts in the state
Health
B+BethanyHealthier than 71% of U.S. towns C+CobdenHealthier than 42% of U.S. towns
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
BethanyCobden
Snow a year15″10″
January low—25°F
July high—90°F
Growing season (days)—203d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)73rd73rd
Outdoors & history
BethanyCobden
Trails0 mi—
Conserved land0%—
Archive photos—3
Famous people born here13
Community
BethanyCobden
Library hours a week45 hrs18 hrs
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.

Where they are

148 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

BethanyILCobdenIL
Bethany ↔ Cobden148 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.

BethanyCobden
People
Population 1,176Highest 1,170Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -7.2% -7.2%
Median age 42.9±11.3Lowest 10% above IL 46.8±7.1Highest 20% above IL
Cobden and Bethany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 22.8%±6.9Highest IL: 21.8% 21.2%±6.6Lowest IL: 21.8%
Bethany and Cobden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 19.6%±4.3Lowest IL: 17% 23.2%±4.9Highest IL: 17%
Cobden and Bethany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 22.2%Highest IL: 37.8% 20.5%Lowest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.6%±1.4Lowest IL: 6.3% 6.8%±3.6Highest IL: 6.3%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $44,583±$17kLowest 47% below IL $46,458±$13kHighest 44% below IL
Cobden and Bethany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $106,200±$10kHighest 60% below IL $98,300±$37kLowest 63% below IL
Bethany and Cobden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,002±$386 21% below IL —
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,885Highest 64% below IL $964Lowest 82% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 29.8%±18.4Lowest IL: 47.9% 65.4%±33.6Highest IL: 47.9%
Cobden and Bethany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 12.3%Lowest IL: 11.8% 28.8%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 66.8%Lowest IL: 67.1% 69.6%Highest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1964Highest 7 yrs older than IL 1963Lowest 8 yrs older than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 24 minLowest 15% below IL 25 minHighest 12% below IL
Work from home 3.6%±3.3Lowest IL: 15.9% 4.8%±3.9Highest IL: 15.9%
Cobden and Bethany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 5.1%Highest 3.1%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 18.3 miHighest 15.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.41Lowest 0.72Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Sullivan (21%)Anna (14%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in CobdenFew work in Bethany
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 101Highest 42.6Lowest
Schools
School district —Cobden SUD 17
High school in town —Cobden High School
Students per teacherat that high school — 9.8
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.

Bethany neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bethany’s Town Square.

Cobden neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Cobden’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Bethany

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Camp Point1,230 people · $128K 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.

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