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Compare towns

Elgin vs Bremen Township

43 miles apart. The biggest differences: growth since 2010 (+8.8 pts in Elgin) and home values (+25% in Elgin).

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Elgin, ILOne of the healthiest townsIllinois · 114,934 people
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Bremen Township, ILOne of the healthiest townsCook County · 104,594 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 differ most

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 $810 more a month in Elgin

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 →
Bremen Township$1,610/mo
Typical home $218K (Census) · tax rate 2.55% · or rent about $1,358/mo · Housing →

The difference: $810 a month, about $9,800 a year, between Elgin and Bremen 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.

Report cards

Elgin places higher on 11 of 20 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.

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
ElginBremen Township
Snow a year32″28″
January low14°F15°F
July high84°F84°F
Growing season (days)174d179d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)50th68th
Outdoors & history
ElginBremen Township
Conserved land7.1%5.7%
Settled18351850
National Register places12—
Archive photos128
Community
ElginBremen Township
Library hours a week71 hrs64 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.

Where they are

43 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Elgin ↔ Bremen Township43 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.

ElginBremen Township
People
Population 114,934Highest 104,594Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +6.1%Highest -2.7%Lowest
Median age 36.7±1.3Lowest 6% below IL 39.8±0.9Highest about the IL average
Kids under 18 25.3%±1.4Highest IL: 21.8% 22.1%±1.5Lowest IL: 21.8%
Age 65+ 13.5%±1Lowest IL: 17% 18.3%±1.1Highest IL: 17%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 27%Highest IL: 37.8% 26.4%Lowest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.1%±0.6Highest IL: 6.3% 5.1%±0.7Lowest IL: 6.3%
Elgin and Bremen Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $90,282±$3kHighest 8% above IL $78,755±$4kLowest 6% below IL
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $273,000±$6kHighest 4% above IL $218,300±$5kLowest 17% below IL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,361±$65Highest 7% above IL $1,358±$43Lowest 7% above IL
Elgin and Bremen Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $6,184Highest 17% above IL $5,576Lowest 5% above IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 49%±5.1Lowest IL: 47.9% 58.3%±4.6Highest IL: 47.9%
Bremen Township and Elgin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 9.8%Lowest IL: 11.8% 12.6%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 71.9%Lowest IL: 67.1% 76.2%Highest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1977Highest 6 yrs newer than IL 1973Lowest 2 yrs newer than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minLowest about the IL average 32 minHighest 14% above IL
Work from home 12.8%±1.4Highest IL: 15.9% 11.7%±1.7Lowest IL: 15.9%
Elgin and Bremen Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 19.8%Highest 9.2%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.3 miLowest 16.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.01Highest 0.63Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Chicago (11%)Chicago (25%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Bremen TownshipFew work in Elgin
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 7.1%Highest 5.7%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 19.7 miLowest 22.6 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 miLowest 0.6 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 76Highest 61Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 76.9Highest 69.7Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#298 of 384 in IL
School district —Eisenhower Cooperative · Southwest Cook Coop Spec Ed
High school in town —Bremen High School
Students per teacherat that high school — 15.5
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.

Elgin neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Elgin’s Town Square.

Bremen Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bremen Township’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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