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Compare towns

Bethany vs Winchester

91 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (+37% in Bethany) and growth since 2010 (+6 pts in Winchester).

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Bethany, ILHomes around $165KIllinois · 1,176 people
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Winchester, ILA small town of 1,498Illinois · 1,498 people
Swap order
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 →
WinchesterA small town of 1,498
Quiet strengthsWinchester doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Winchester →
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 bill+37%
Tax bills are bigger in Bethany
Bethany $1,885Winchester $1,377
Growth since 2010+6 pts
Winchester has grown faster since 2010
Winchester -1.2%Bethany -7.2%
Street grid+58%
Winchester has the more walkable street grid
Winchester 159Bethany 101
Work in town+11.6 pts
More of Winchester’s workers stay in town
Winchester 16.7%Bethany 5.1%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $500 more a month in Bethany

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 →
Winchester$610/mo
Typical home $94K (Census) · tax rate 1.47% · or rent about $593/mo · Housing →

The difference: $500 a month, about $6,000 a year, between Bethany and Winchester.

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 BWinchesterBetter than 57% of districts in the state
Health
B+BethanyHealthier than 71% of U.S. towns C+WinchesterHealthier than 45% 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
BethanyWinchester
Snow a year15″18″
January low—18°F
July high—86°F
Growing season (days)—190d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)73rd64th
Outdoors & history
BethanyWinchester
Trails0 mi1 mi
Conserved land0%0%
National Register places—1
Famous people born here17
Community
BethanyWinchester
Library hours a week45 hrs30 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

91 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

BethanyILWinchesterIL
Bethany ↔ Winchester91 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.

BethanyWinchester
People
Population 1,176Lowest 1,498Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -7.2%Lowest -1.2%Highest
Median age 42.9±11.3Lowest 10% above IL 44.6±6Highest 14% above IL
Winchester and Bethany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 22.8%±6.9Lowest IL: 21.8% 23.5%±3.4Highest IL: 21.8%
Winchester and Bethany 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%±3.2Highest IL: 17%
Winchester 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% 18.3%Lowest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.6%±1.4Lowest IL: 6.3% 2.7%±1.5Highest IL: 6.3%
Winchester and Bethany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $44,583±$17kLowest 47% below IL $48,250±$9kHighest 42% below IL
Winchester 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 $93,900±$9kLowest 64% below IL
Bethany and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,002±$386Highest 21% below IL $593±$159Lowest 53% below IL
Bethany and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,885Highest 64% below IL $1,377Lowest 74% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 29.8%±18.4Highest IL: 47.9% 26.5%±8.4Lowest IL: 47.9%
Bethany and Winchester 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% 21.2%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 66.8%Highest IL: 67.1% 64.1%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1964Highest 7 yrs older than IL 1960Lowest 11 yrs older than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 24 minLowest 15% below IL 24 minHighest 13% below IL
Work from home 3.6%±3.3Lowest IL: 15.9% 5.9%±4Highest IL: 15.9%
Winchester 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%Lowest 16.7%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 18.3 miLowest 25.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.41Lowest 0.60Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Sullivan (21%)Jacksonville (20%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in WinchesterFew work in Bethany
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 1.4 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 1.3 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 101Lowest 159Highest
Schools
School district —Winchester CUSD 1
High school in town —Winchester High School
Students per teacherat that high school — 9.2
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.

Winchester neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Winchester’s Town Square.

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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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