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Carol Stream vs Wheaton

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: home values (+36% in Wheaton) and work from home (+10.9 pts in Wheaton).

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Carol Stream, ILOne of the healthiest townsIllinois · 39,460 people
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Wheaton, ILAn outdoors townIllinois · 53,557 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.

Carol StreamOne of the healthiest towns
HealthHealthier than 90%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates Outdoors#159 most walkable in IL6.1 miles of trails across 33 parks and preserves SafetySafer than 77%of U.S. towns we grade All about Carol Stream →
WheatonAn outdoors town
Outdoors#77 most walkable in IL8.1 miles of trails across 46 parks and preserves Housing$515K typical home73% above the IL typical home HealthHealthier than 97%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Wheaton →
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.

Home values+36%
Homes cost more in Wheaton
Wheaton $455,700Carol Stream $335,000
Work from home+10.9 pts
More people work from home in Wheaton
Wheaton 25.7%Carol Stream 14.8%
Bachelor’s degree++21.7 pts
More adults in Wheaton have a degree
Wheaton 64.5%Carol Stream 42.8%
Rent+18%
Rent runs higher in Wheaton
Wheaton $1,799Carol Stream $1,529
Household income+17%
Households in Wheaton earn more
Wheaton $120,008Carol Stream $102,309
Property tax bill+18%
Tax bills are bigger in Wheaton
Wheaton $9,443Carol Stream $7,987
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $800 more a month in Wheaton

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.

Carol Stream$2,780/mo
Typical home $385K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.38% · or rent about $1,529/mo · Housing →
Wheaton$3,590/mo
Typical home $515K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.07% · or rent about $1,799/mo · Housing →

The difference: $800 a month, about $9,600 a year, between Wheaton and Carol Stream.

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.

Where they are

Carol Stream and Wheaton share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

Carol StreamWheatonCarol StreamWheaton
Carol Stream ↔ Wheaton4.6 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
616 Carol Stream residents work in Wheaton (3% of its workers)
580 Wheaton residents work in Carol Stream (2.3% of its workers)
Work & commute in Carol Stream →
Report cards

Wheaton places higher on 18 of 23 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.

Safety
A−Carol StreamSafer than 77% of U.S. towns AWheatonSafer than 88% of U.S. towns
Health
ACarol StreamHealthier than 90% of U.S. towns A+WheatonHealthier than 97% of U.S. towns
5Carol Stream
18Wheaton

Lists won, of 23 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most new homesHousing · 431 towns #310#135 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 861 towns #342#26 Most-used librariesLibraries · 262 towns #105#33 Most remote workersWork · 849 towns #236#51 Most educatedPeople · 862 towns #210#53 Shortest commuteGetting around · 862 towns #567#413 Most activeHealth · 861 towns #191#38 SafestSafety · 321 towns #104#50

Left end = #1 in Illinois. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Carol Stream’s rankings →

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
Carol StreamWheaton
Snow a year46″42″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)29th43rd
Outdoors & history
Carol StreamWheaton
Trails6 mi8 mi
Conserved land6.3%7.4%
Settled19591831
National Register places—6
Archive photos13—
Famous people born here5—
Community
Carol StreamWheaton
Library hours a week69 hrs68 hrs
Colleges in town—1
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.

Carol StreamWheaton
People
Population 39,460Lowest 53,557Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +0.4%Lowest +2%Highest
Median age 40.4±1.4Highest 4% above IL 36.8±0.8Lowest 6% below IL
Kids under 18 20.6%±1.6Lowest IL: 21.8% 22%±1.4Highest IL: 21.8%
Wheaton and Carol Stream are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 16.9%±1.6Lowest IL: 17% 17.5%±1.1Highest IL: 17%
Wheaton and Carol Stream are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 42.8%Lowest IL: 37.8% 64.5%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.5%±1.4Lowest IL: 6.3% 10.7%±0.9Highest IL: 6.3%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $102,309±$6kLowest 23% above IL $120,008±$4kHighest 44% above IL
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $335,000±$8kLowest 27% above IL $455,700±$10kHighest 73% above IL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,529±$78Lowest 20% above IL $1,799±$83Highest 41% above IL
Property taxmedian, yearly $7,987Lowest 51% above IL $9,443Highest 78% above IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 41.2%±6.7Lowest IL: 47.9% 44%±5.3Highest IL: 47.9%
Wheaton and Carol Stream are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 6.4%Highest IL: 11.8% 5.6%Lowest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 67.3%Lowest IL: 67.1% 71.7%Highest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1984Highest 13 yrs newer than IL 1976Lowest 5 yrs newer than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minHighest about the IL average 26 minLowest 8% below IL
Work from home 14.8%±1.8Lowest IL: 15.9% 25.7%±1.8Highest IL: 15.9%
Work in townworking residents 7.8%Lowest 11%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.8 mi 10.8 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.03Highest 0.83Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Chicago (14%)Chicago (18%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 3% work in Wheaton2% work in Carol Stream
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 6.3%Lowest 7.4%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 6.1 miLowest 8.1 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.6 miLowest 0.7 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 33Lowest 46Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 86.6Lowest 105Highest
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.

Carol Stream neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Improving Our Village

1 neighbor in Carol Stream can answer.

Wheaton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Wheaton’s Town Square.

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Bordering Carol Stream

G
+ Compare
Glendale Heights32,808 people · $262K homes
B
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Bloomingdale Township111,175 people · $327K homes
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Winfield10,095 people · $386K homes
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Wayne Township63,881 people · $371K homes

Towns like Carol Stream

+ Compare
Wheeling38,433 people · $266K homes
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Woodridge33,941 people · $364K homes
M
+ Compare
Mundelein31,915 people · $310K homes
+ Compare
Mount Prospect55,472 people · $397K 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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