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Compare towns

Bureau Junction vs Joppa

283 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (14× in Joppa) and property tax bill (2.4× in Bureau Junction).

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Bureau Junction, ILA small town of 264Illinois · 264 people
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Joppa, ILA small town of 259Illinois · 259 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.

Bureau JunctionA small town of 264
Quiet strengthsBureau Junction doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Bureau Junction →
JoppaA small town of 259
Quiet strengthsJoppa doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Joppa →
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.

Jobs per worker14×
Joppa is more of a job hub
Joppa 0.42Bureau Junction 0.03
Property tax bill2.4×
Tax bills are bigger in Bureau Junction
Bureau Junction $1,308Joppa $542
Street grid4.4×
Joppa has the more walkable street grid
Joppa 91.2Bureau Junction 20.7
Trails3×
Bureau Junction has more miles of trail
Bureau Junction 1.8 miJoppa 0.6 mi
Household income+36%
Households in Bureau Junction earn more
Bureau Junction $56,538Joppa $41,563
Average commute8 min
Joppa has the shorter commute
Bureau Junction 32 minJoppa 24 min
★ 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.

Bureau Junction$400/mo
Typical home $55K (Census) · tax rate 2.39% · or rent about $1,714/mo · Housing →
Joppa$280/mo
Typical home $45K (Census) · tax rate 1.20% · or rent about $754/mo · Housing →

The difference: $120 a month, about $1,400 a year, between Bureau Junction and Joppa.

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
–Bureau JunctionNot graded C+JoppaBetter than 41% of districts in the state
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
Bureau JunctionJoppa
Snow a year29″9″
January low14°F27°F
July high85°F90°F
Growing season (days)177d206d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)33rd81st
Outdoors & history
Bureau JunctionJoppa
Trails2 mi—
Conserved land9.6%—
Archive photos211
Famous people born here1—
Community
Bureau JunctionJoppa
Library hours a week15 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

283 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Bureau JunctionILJoppaIL
Bureau Junction ↔ Joppa283 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.

Bureau JunctionJoppa
People
Population 264Highest 259Lowest
Median age 34.7±7.3Highest 11% below IL 32.3±24.3Lowest 17% below IL
Bureau Junction and Joppa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 22.3%±7.9Lowest IL: 21.8% 23.2%±9.1Highest IL: 21.8%
Joppa and Bureau Junction are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 13.6%±9.4Lowest IL: 17% 20.5%±6.5Highest IL: 17%
Joppa and Bureau Junction are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 6.7%Lowest IL: 37.8% 8.8%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3%±6.4Highest IL: 6.3% 0.8%±1.6Lowest IL: 6.3%
Bureau Junction and Joppa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $56,538±$5kHighest 32% below IL $41,563±$8kLowest 50% below IL
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $54,800±$5kHighest 79% below IL $45,000±$33kLowest 83% below IL
Bureau Junction and Joppa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,714±$868Highest 35% above IL $754±$399Lowest 41% below IL
Bureau Junction and Joppa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,308Highest 75% below IL $542Lowest 90% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 41.2%±59.5Lowest IL: 47.9% 44.4%±49.5Highest IL: 47.9%
Joppa and Bureau Junction are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 22.1%Lowest IL: 11.8% 22.4%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 62.5%Highest IL: 67.1% 62.1%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1952Lowest 19 yrs older than IL 1963Highest 8 yrs older than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 32 minHighest 16% above IL 24 minLowest 14% below IL
Work from home 0.7%±1.3Highest IL: 15.9% 0%±26Lowest IL: 15.9%
Bureau Junction and Joppa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0% 0%
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 28.3 miHighest 14.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.03Lowest 0.42Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Peru (8%)Metropolis (24%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in JoppaFew work in Bureau Junction
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 9.6%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 1.8 miHighest 0.6 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.1 miLowest 1.2 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 20.7Lowest 91.2Highest
Schools
School district —Joppa-Maple Grove UD 38
High school in town —Joppa Jr & Sr High School
Students per teacherat that high school — 8.1
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.

Bureau Junction neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bureau Junction’s Town Square.

Joppa neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Joppa’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Bureau Junction and Joppa

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Towns like Bureau Junction

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Leepertown Township307 people · $56K homes
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Royal Lakes301 people · $54K homes
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Harvel201 people · $55K homes
C
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Coatsburg209 people · $82K 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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