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.

Down paymentRate%

Dawson$1,570/mo

Typical home $237K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.66% · or rent about $850/mo · Housing →

Fairmount$1,130/mo

Typical home $164K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.00% · or rent about $783/mo · Housing →

The difference: $440 a month, about $5,300 a year, between Dawson and Fairmount.

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.

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

DawsonFairmount

Snow a year21″24″

January low—17°F

July high—84°F

Growing season (days)—181d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)44th 48th

Outdoors & history

DawsonFairmount

Trails0 mi 0 mi

Conserved land0%0%

Settled1883 1863

Famous people born here1 2

Community

DawsonFairmount

Library hours a week—25 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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

87 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

DawsonIL FairmountIL

Dawson ↔ Fairmount87 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.

Only big differences vs Illinois average

DawsonFairmount

People

Population 536Lowest 555Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2%Highest -4.7%Lowest

Median age 42.1±9.3Lowest 8% above IL 43.9±8.7Highest 13% above IL

Fairmount and Dawson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 19.6%±7.9Lowest IL: 21.8% 21.3%±4.9Highest IL: 21.8%

Fairmount and Dawson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 20.7%±10Lowest IL: 17% 23.4%±3.9Highest IL: 17%

Fairmount and Dawson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 10.4%Lowest IL: 37.8% 13.6%Highest IL: 37.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.5%±1.3Highest IL: 6.3% 0.4%±2.4Lowest IL: 6.3%

Dawson and Fairmount are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $76,339±$17kHighest 8% below IL $60,500±$11kLowest 27% below IL

Dawson and Fairmount are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $91,000±$25kHighest 65% below IL $87,600±$9kLowest 67% below IL

Dawson and Fairmount are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $850±$205Highest 33% below IL $783±$18Lowest 39% below IL

Dawson and Fairmount are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,515Lowest 71% below IL $1,750Highest 67% below IL

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 23.5%±40.8Lowest IL: 47.9% 56.3%±40.1Highest IL: 47.9%

Fairmount and Dawson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 6.6%Lowest IL: 11.8% 13.1%Highest IL: 11.8%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 77.1%Lowest IL: 67.1% 79.4%Highest IL: 67.1%

Typical home builtmedian year 1977Highest 6 yrs newer than IL 1959Lowest 12 yrs older than IL

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 22 minLowest 20% below IL 26 minHighest 8% below IL

Work from home 27.9%±17.3Highest IL: 15.9% 8.5%±4.2Lowest IL: 15.9%

Dawson and Fairmount are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 0.5%Highest 0%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.3 miLowest 22.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.24Highest 0.12Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Springfield (44%)Danville (13%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in FairmountFew work in Dawson

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 1 1

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 33.0Lowest 144Highest

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.

Dawson neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Dawson’s Town Square.

Fairmount neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Fairmount’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Dawson and Fairmount

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

Towns like Dawson

+ Compare

Pierron414 people · $105K homes

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Prairie du Rocher454 people · $89K homes

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Groveland Township486 people · $89K homes

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Cisne627 people · $77K 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.

Dawson vs Fairmount

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $440 more a month in Dawson

What daily life feels like in each

87 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Dawson and Fairmount

Towns like Dawson

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