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Elgin vs Bartlett

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: household income (+48% in Bartlett) and trails (2.8× in Elgin).

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Elgin, ILOne of the healthiest townsIllinois · 114,934 people
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Bartlett, ILAn outdoors townIllinois · 40,501 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 $800 more a month in Bartlett

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.

Elgin$2,420/mo
Typical home $340K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.27% · or rent about $1,361/mo · Housing →
Bartlett$3,220/mo
Typical home $443K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.43% · or rent about $1,883/mo · Housing →

The difference: $800 a month, about $9,600 a year, between Bartlett and Elgin.

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

Bartlett places higher on 11 of 21 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.

Where they are

Elgin and Bartlett share a border

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

ElginBartlettElginBartlett
Elgin ↔ Bartlett9.3 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
1,245 Bartlett residents work in Elgin (5.8% of its workers)
773 Elgin residents work in Bartlett (1.5% of its workers)
Work & commute in Bartlett →
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
ElginBartlett
Snow a year32″46″
January low14°F—
July high84°F—
Growing season (days)174d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)50th29th
Outdoors & history
ElginBartlett
Trails20 mi7 mi
Conserved land7.1%17.2%
Settled18351891
National Register places12—
Archive photos1224
Famous people born here—6
Community
ElginBartlett
Library hours a week71 hrs68 hrs
Colleges in town2—
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.

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.

ElginBartlett
People
Population 114,934Highest 40,501Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +6.1%Highest -0.2%Lowest
Median age 36.7±1.3Lowest 6% below IL 41±0.8Highest 5% above IL
Kids under 18 25.3%±1.4Highest IL: 21.8% 23.2%±2Lowest IL: 21.8%
Elgin and Bartlett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 13.5%±1Lowest IL: 17% 15.9%±1.4Highest IL: 17%
Bartlett and Elgin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 27%Lowest IL: 37.8% 49.5%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.1%±0.6Highest IL: 6.3% 4.7%±0.7Lowest IL: 6.3%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $90,282±$3kLowest 8% above IL $133,240±$6kHighest 60% above IL
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $273,000±$6kLowest 4% above IL $375,700±$10kHighest 43% above IL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,361±$65Lowest 7% above IL $1,883±$226Highest 48% above IL
Property taxmedian, yearly $6,184Lowest 17% above IL $9,136Highest 72% above IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 49%±5.1Lowest IL: 47.9% 50.9%±12.7Highest IL: 47.9%
Bartlett and Elgin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 9.8%Highest IL: 11.8% 4.2%Lowest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 71.9%Lowest IL: 67.1% 89.2%Highest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1977Lowest 6 yrs newer than IL 1992Highest 21 yrs newer than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minLowest about the IL average 30 minHighest 7% above IL
Work from home 12.8%±1.4Lowest IL: 15.9% 20.5%±2.8Highest IL: 15.9%
Work in townworking residents 19.8%Highest 4.8%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.3 miHighest 12.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.01Highest 0.40Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Chicago (11%)Chicago (15%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 1% work in Bartlett6% work in Elgin
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 7.1%Lowest 17.2%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 19.7 miHighest 7.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 miHighest 0.4 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 76Highest 32Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 76.9Highest 72.1Lowest
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.

Elgin neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Elgin’s Town Square.

Bartlett neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bartlett’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Elgin

Towns like Elgin

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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