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Central Township vs Mills Township

Next-door neighbors in Bond County. The biggest differences: size (19.9× in Central Township) and street grid (6.9× in Central Township).

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Central Township, ILKnown for its schoolsBond County · 8,081 people
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Mills Township, ILA small town of 407Bond County · 407 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.

Central TownshipKnown for its schools
Schools#176 for schools in ILof 384 towns Health57% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Central Township →
Mills TownshipA small town of 407
Quiet strengthsMills Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Mills Township →
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.

Size19.9×
Central Township is the bigger place
Central Township 8,081Mills Township 407
Street grid6.9×
Central Township has the more walkable street grid
Central Township 13.2Mills Township 1.9
Median age21 yrs
Mills Township skews older
Mills Township 58Central Township 37
Work from home+20.9 pts
More people work from home in Mills Township
Mills Township 29.2%Central Township 8.3%
Homeowners+30.8 pts renters
Central Township has more renters
Mills Township 96.4%Central Township 65.6%
Work in town+28.7 pts
More of Central Township’s workers stay in town
Central Township 31.1%Mills Township 2.4%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $390 more a month in Mills Township

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.

Central Township$1,030/mo
Typical home $142K (Census) · tax rate 2.40% · or rent about $786/mo · Housing →
Mills Township$1,410/mo
Typical home $230K (Census) · tax rate 1.08% · Housing →

The difference: $390 a month, about $4,600 a year, between Mills Township and Central Township.

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

Central Township and Mills Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Central TownshipMills TownshipCentral TownshipMills Township
Central Township ↔ Mills Township5.6 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
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
BCentral TownshipBetter than 62% of districts in the state –Mills TownshipNot graded
Health
C+Central TownshipHealthier than 43% of U.S. towns –Mills TownshipNot graded
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
Central TownshipMills Township
Snow a year12″12″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)52nd64th
Outdoors & history
Central TownshipMills Township
Trails3 mi3 mi
Conserved land1.1%0%
Famous people born here—1
Community
Central TownshipMills Township
Library hours a week46 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.

Central TownshipMills Township
People
Population 8,081Highest 407Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -0.6%Highest -14.3%Lowest
Median age 37±1.5Lowest 5% below IL 58±4.4Highest 49% above IL
Kids under 18 15.3%±2.7Highest IL: 21.8% 6.6%±9.8Lowest IL: 21.8%
Central Township and Mills Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 15.9%±2.5Highest IL: 17% 10.8%±9.9Lowest IL: 17%
Central Township and Mills Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 25.7%Lowest IL: 37.8% 30.7%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 13.4%±2.4Highest IL: 6.3% 6.9%±12.4Lowest IL: 6.3%
Central Township and Mills Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $65,676±$8k 21% below IL —
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $141,500±$24kLowest 46% below IL $230,000±$84kHighest 13% below IL
Mills Township and Central Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $786±$149 38% below IL —
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,398Highest 36% below IL $2,475Lowest 53% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 34%±15.6 IL: 47.9% —
Below poverty line 11.6%Highest IL: 11.8% 2%Lowest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 65.6%Lowest IL: 67.1% 96.4%Highest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1974Lowest 3 yrs newer than IL 1997Highest 26 yrs newer than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 21 minHighest 24% below IL 11 minLowest 59% below IL
Work from home 8.3%±4.4Lowest IL: 15.9% 29.2%±14.1Highest IL: 15.9%
Work in townworking residents 31.1%Highest 2.4%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 28.8 miHighest 25.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.35Highest 0.58Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Greenville (30%)Greenville (14%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Mills TownshipFew work in Central Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.1%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 2.6 miLowest 3.3 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 mi 0.1 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 7Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 13.2Highest 1.9Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #176 of 384 in IL—
School district Bond County CUSD 2—
High school in town Bond Cty Comm Unit 2 High School—
Students per teacherat that high school 13.9 —
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.

Central Township neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Weekend Plans Ahead

1 neighbor in Central Township can answer.

Mills Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mills Township’s Town Square.

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Bordering Central Township

O
+ Compare
Old Ripley Township961 people · $209K homes
L
+ Compare
Lagrange Township853 people · $255K homes
P
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Pleasant Mound Township813 people · $163K homes

Towns like Central Township

E
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East Lincoln Township7,677 people · $144K homes
+ Compare
South Beloit7,946 people · $173K homes
+ Compare
Greenville7,235 people · $122K homes
M
+ Compare
Mendota6,994 people · $134K 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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