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Downs Township vs Old Town Township

Next-door neighbors in McLean County. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (3.3× in Downs Township) and home values (+51% in Old Town Township).

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Downs Township, ILOne of the healthiest townsMcLean County · 1,275 people
O ×
Old Town Township, ILOne of the healthiest townsMcLean County · 3,421 people
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.

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.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $820 more a month in Old Town 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.

Downs Township$1,620/mo
Typical home $229K (Census) · tax rate 2.19% · or rent about $1,308/mo · Housing →
Old Town Township$2,440/mo
Typical home $346K (Census) · tax rate 2.18% · or rent about $637/mo · Housing →

The difference: $820 a month, about $9,800 a year, between Old Town Township and Downs 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

Downs Township and Old Town Township share a border

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

Downs TownshipOld Town TownshipDowns TownshipOld Town Township
Downs Township ↔ Old Town Township6.5 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
Who commutes between them
7 Downs Township residents work in Old Town Township (1.1% of its workers)
Work & commute in Downs Township →
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.

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
Downs TownshipOld Town Township
Snow a year7″7″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)58th57th
Outdoors & history
Downs TownshipOld Town Township
Trails1 mi2 mi
Conserved land0%0%
Settled1870—
Community
Downs TownshipOld Town Township
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined01

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.

Downs TownshipOld Town Township
People
Population 1,275Lowest 3,421Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +6.3%Lowest +12.7%Highest
Median age 37.3±8.9Lowest 4% below IL 44.3±4Highest 14% above IL
Old Town Township and Downs Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 29.3%±6Lowest IL: 21.8% 30.5%±6.1Highest IL: 21.8%
Old Town Township and Downs Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 16.9%±4.9Lowest IL: 17% 18.3%±5.8Highest IL: 17%
Old Town Township and Downs Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 47.8%Lowest IL: 37.8% 60.7%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.6%±1.8Highest IL: 6.3% 2.9%±2Lowest IL: 6.3%
Downs Township and Old Town Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $92,083±$29kLowest 10% above IL $148,516±$46kHighest 78% above IL
Old Town Township and Downs Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $229,100±$26kLowest 13% below IL $345,500±$40kHighest 31% above IL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,308±$186Highest about the IL average $637±$514Lowest 50% below IL
Downs Township and Old Town Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $5,018Lowest 5% below IL $7,524Highest 42% above IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 34.4%±58.3Highest IL: 47.9% 14.6%±58Lowest IL: 47.9%
Downs Township and Old Town Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 7.5%Highest IL: 11.8% 7.4%Lowest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 90.4%Lowest IL: 67.1% 95.4%Highest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1979Lowest 8 yrs newer than IL 1990Highest 19 yrs newer than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 21 minLowest 24% below IL 26 minHighest 8% below IL
Work from home 15.7%±5.8Lowest IL: 15.9% 29.6%±9.3Highest IL: 15.9%
Old Town Township and Downs Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 3.8%Highest 0.6%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.3 miHighest 7.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.59Highest 0.18Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Bloomington (50%)Bloomington (49%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 1% work in Old Town TownshipFew work in Downs Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 1.3 miLowest 1.8 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.1 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 4Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 2.5Lowest 4.9Highest
Schools
School district Tri Valley CUSD 3—
High school in town Tri-Valley High School—
Students per teacherat that high school 13.4 —
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.

Downs Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Downs Township’s Town Square.

Old Town Township neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 6d

Getting Around Old Town

1 neighbor in Old Town Township can answer.

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Bordering Downs Township

Towns like Downs Township

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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