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%

Earl Township$1,130/mo

Typical home $158K (Census) · tax rate 2.25% · or rent about $988/mo · Housing →

Virden$830/mo

Typical home $125K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.75% · or rent about $864/mo · Housing →

The difference: $290 a month, about $3,500 a year, between Earl Township and Virden.

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.

Report cards

Virden places higher on 13 of 16 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

–Earl TownshipNot graded CVirdenSafer than 33% of U.S. towns

Schools

C+Earl TownshipBetter than 39% of districts in the state –VirdenNot graded

Health

B−Earl TownshipHealthier than 47% of U.S. towns B−VirdenHealthier than 52% of U.S. towns

1Earl Township

13Virden

Lists won, of 16 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most walkableOutdoors · 862 towns #831#104 Shortest commuteGetting around · 862 towns #717#362 Most remote workersWork · 849 towns #762#447 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 862 towns #494#800 Lowest property taxCost of living · 860 towns #339#80 Most affordableCost of living · 861 towns #298#95 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 861 towns #342#202 Cheapest rentCost of living · 840 towns #358#223

Left end = #1 in Illinois. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Earl Township’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

Earl TownshipVirden

Snow a year30″16″

January low—21°F

July high—87°F

Growing season (days)—205d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)21st 35th

Outdoors & history

Earl TownshipVirden

Trails1 mi —

Conserved land0%—

Archive photos—1

Community

Earl TownshipVirden

Library hours a week36 hrs 38 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

152 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Earl TownshipLaSalle County VirdenIL

Earl Township ↔ Virden152 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

Earl TownshipVirden

People

Population 2,574Lowest 3,171Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -6.3%Lowest -5.7%Highest

Median age 36.4±5Lowest 7% below IL 36.7±4.1Highest 6% below IL

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

Kids under 18 23.5%±3.7Highest IL: 21.8% 19.8%±5Lowest IL: 21.8%

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

Age 65+ 15.6%±2.2Lowest IL: 17% 16.7%±3.9Highest IL: 17%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 11.9%Lowest IL: 37.8% 13.5%Highest IL: 37.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.5%±1Lowest IL: 6.3% 5.4%±2.9Highest IL: 6.3%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $68,277±$12kLowest 18% below IL $80,577±$16kHighest 3% below IL

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $158,400±$8kHighest 40% below IL $101,300±$10kLowest 62% below IL

Rentmedian gross, monthly $988±$146Highest 22% below IL $864±$168Lowest 32% below IL

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $3,562Highest 33% below IL $1,771Lowest 67% below IL

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 67.3%±24Highest IL: 47.9% 31%±15.9Lowest IL: 47.9%

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

Below poverty line 14.9%Highest IL: 11.8% 10.2%Lowest IL: 11.8%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 66%Lowest IL: 67.1% 66.8%Highest IL: 67.1%

Typical home builtmedian year 1971Highest same as IL 1957Lowest 14 yrs older than IL

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 31 minHighest 12% above IL 24 minLowest 13% below IL

Work from home 4.5%±2.6Lowest IL: 15.9% 10.3%±4.8Highest IL: 15.9%

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

Work in townworking residents 8.1%Lowest 9%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 28.3 miHighest 20.8 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.34Lowest 0.48Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Ottawa (9%)Springfield (32%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in VirdenFew work in Earl Township

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 1.2%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 0.7 miHighest 0.2 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.1 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Highest 0Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 4.4Lowest 98.6Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #239 of 384 in IL—

School district Earlville CUSD 9—

High school in town Earlville Jr/Sr High School—

Students per teacherat that high school 7.5 —

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.

Earl Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Earl Township’s Town Square.

Virden neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Virden’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Earl Township and Virden

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Bordering Earl Township

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Freedom Township432 people · $363K homes

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Meriden Township344 people · $163K homes

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Paw Paw Township198 people · $410K homes

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Adams Township1,916 people · $238K homes

Towns like Earl Township

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Ganeer Township3,164 people · $203K homes

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Momence3,291 people · $155K homes

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Louisville Township1,917 people · $127K homes

+ Compare

Earlville1,942 people · $142K 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.

Earl Township vs Virden

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $290 more a month in Earl Township

Virden places higher on 13 of 16 IL lists

What daily life feels like in each

152 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Earl Township and Virden

Bordering Earl Township

Towns like Earl Township

Post to Earl Township

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