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Compare towns

Elgin vs Leyden Township

24 miles apart. The biggest differences: typical home built (18 yrs in Leyden Township) and growth since 2010 (+5.9 pts in Elgin).

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Elgin, ILOne of the healthiest townsIllinois · 114,934 people
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Leyden Township, ILAn outdoors townCook County · 90,973 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 $380 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 →
Leyden Township$2,040/mo
Typical home $288K (Census) · tax rate 2.20% · or rent about $1,246/mo · Housing →

The difference: $380 a month, about $4,600 a year, between Elgin and Leyden 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 9 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
ElginLeyden Township
Snow a year32″38″
January low14°F19°F
July high84°F85°F
Growing season (days)174d193d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)50th57th
Outdoors & history
ElginLeyden Township
Conserved land7.1%1.4%
Settled1835—
National Register places12—
Archive photos123
Community
ElginLeyden Township
Library hours a week71 hrs67 hrs
Colleges in town2—
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.

Where they are

24 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

ElginLeyden TownshipElginLeyden Township
Elgin ↔ Leyden Township24 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.

ElginLeyden Township
People
Population 114,934Highest 90,973Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +6.1%Highest +0.2%Lowest
Median age 36.7±1.3Lowest 6% below IL 39.2±1.1Highest about the IL average
Kids under 18 25.3%±1.4Highest IL: 21.8% 21.8%±1.4Lowest IL: 21.8%
Age 65+ 13.5%±1Lowest IL: 17% 15.5%±1Highest IL: 17%
Leyden Township 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%Highest IL: 37.8% 25%Lowest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.1%±0.6Highest IL: 6.3% 5.2%±0.8Lowest IL: 6.3%
Elgin and Leyden 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 $79,935±$5kLowest 4% below IL
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $273,000±$6kLowest 4% above IL $288,200±$6kHighest 9% above IL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,361±$65Highest 7% above IL $1,246±$37Lowest about the IL average
Property taxmedian, yearly $6,184Lowest 17% above IL $6,344Highest 20% above IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 49%±5.1Highest IL: 47.9% 44.2%±4.9Lowest IL: 47.9%
Elgin and Leyden Township 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% 8.2%Lowest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 71.9%Highest IL: 67.1% 65.5%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1977Highest 6 yrs newer than IL 1959Lowest 12 yrs older than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minLowest about the IL average 29 minHighest 4% above IL
Work from home 12.8%±1.4Highest IL: 15.9% 9.9%±1.2Lowest IL: 15.9%
Work in townworking residents 19.8%Highest 13.3%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.3 miHighest 8.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.01Lowest 1.63Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Chicago (11%)Chicago (28%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Leyden TownshipFew work in Elgin
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 7.1%Highest 1.4%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 19.7 miHighest 12.5 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 miLowest 0.6 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 76Highest 37Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 76.9Lowest 83.5Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#248 of 384 in IL
School district —Region 06 West Cook ISC 2 · Berkeley SD 87
High school in town —East Leyden High School
Students per teacherat that high school — 14.9
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.

Leyden Township neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Leyden Living Perks

1 neighbor in Leyden Township can answer.

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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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