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Compare towns

Dover vs Perry

134 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (4.6× in Perry) and average commute (13 min in Dover).

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Dover, ILA small town of 133Illinois · 133 people
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Perry, ILA small town of 206Illinois · 206 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.

DoverA small town of 133
Quiet strengthsDover doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Dover →
PerryA small town of 206
Quiet strengthsPerry doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Perry →
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.

Jobs per worker4.6×
Perry is more of a job hub
Perry 0.23Dover 0.05
Average commute13 min
Dover has the shorter commute
Perry 31 minDover 18 min
Property tax bill+27%
Tax bills are bigger in Dover
Dover $1,688Perry $1,333
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $200 more a month in Dover

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.

Dover$770/mo
Typical home $120K (Census) · tax rate 1.41% · or rent about $833/mo · Housing →
Perry$570/mo
Typical home $87K (Census) · tax rate 1.53% · or rent about $396/mo · Housing →

The difference: $200 a month, about $2,400 a year, between Dover and Perry.

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
DoverPerry
Snow a year29″21″
January low14°F18°F
July high85°F87°F
Growing season (days)177d179d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)27th55th
Outdoors & history
DoverPerry
Settled1833—
National Register places—1
Famous people born here1—
Community
DoverPerry
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

134 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

DoverILPerryIL
Dover ↔ Perry134 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.

DoverPerry
People
Population 133Lowest 206Highest
Median age 58.8±10.5Highest 51% above IL 56.6±4.2Lowest 45% above IL
Dover and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 10.5%±15.4Highest IL: 21.8% 8.7%±7.5Lowest IL: 21.8%
Dover and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 27.8%±28.8Lowest IL: 17% 36.4%±5.1Highest IL: 17%
Perry and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 14.5%Highest IL: 37.8% 11.4%Lowest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3%±2.9Lowest IL: 6.3% 3.4%±7.1Highest IL: 6.3%
Perry and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $49,375±$29kHighest 41% below IL $44,792±$35kLowest 46% below IL
Dover and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $120,000±$62kHighest 54% below IL $86,900±$12kLowest 67% below IL
Dover and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $833±$45Highest 35% below IL $396±$394Lowest 69% below IL
Dover and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,688Highest 68% below IL $1,333Lowest 75% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100Lowest IL: 47.9% 26.7%±89Highest IL: 47.9%
Perry and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 11.3%Lowest IL: 11.8% 18.9%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 84.5%Highest IL: 67.1% 81.9%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1963Highest 8 yrs older than IL 1961Lowest 10 yrs older than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 18 minLowest 34% below IL 31 minHighest 12% above IL
Work from home 3.4%±6.6Lowest IL: 15.9% 5.7%±6.2Highest IL: 15.9%
Perry and Dover 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 17.8 miLowest 27.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.05Lowest 0.23Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Princeton (30%)Springfield (12%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in PerryFew work in Dover
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 104Lowest 108Highest
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.

Dover neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Dover’s Town Square.

Perry neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Perry’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Dover and Perry

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Towns like Dover

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Songer Township131 people · $207K homes
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Nelson125 people · $86K homes
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Ridott130 people · $126K homes
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Gays165 people · $93K 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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