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Elgin Township vs Plato Township

Next-door neighbors in Kane County. The biggest differences: street grid (5.9× in Elgin Township) and growth since 2010 (+47.3 pts in Plato Township).

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Elgin Township, ILHometown of 73 notable peopleKane County · 104,350 people
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Plato Township, ILKnown for its schoolsKane County · 9,200 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 $1,280 more a month in Plato 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.

Elgin Township$2,010/mo
Typical home $282K (Census) · tax rate 2.29% · or rent about $1,374/mo · Housing →
Plato Township$3,300/mo
Typical home $470K (Census) · tax rate 2.13%+ · or rent about $1,148/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,280 a month, about $15,400 a year, between Plato Township and Elgin 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; “+” means the Census top-codes that town’s bill at $10,000, so its real rate is higher.

Report cards

Plato Township places higher on 13 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.

Where they are

Elgin Township and Plato Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Elgin TownshipPlato TownshipElgin TownshipPlato Township
Elgin Township ↔ Plato Township5.9 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
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
Elgin TownshipPlato Township
Snow a year32″32″
January low14°F14°F
July high84°F84°F
Growing season (days)174d174d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)48th31st
Outdoors & history
Elgin TownshipPlato Township
Trails25 mi5 mi
Conserved land8.2%9.8%
Settled1835—
National Register places—2
Archive photos121
Famous people born here73—
Community
Elgin TownshipPlato Township
Library hours a week71 hrs—
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.

Elgin TownshipPlato Township
People
Population 104,350Highest 9,200Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +3.5%Lowest +50.8%Highest
Median age 38.3±1Lowest about the IL average 42.4±2.8Highest 9% above IL
Kids under 18 23.2%±1.2Lowest IL: 21.8% 24.4%±4.9Highest IL: 21.8%
Plato Township and Elgin Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 14.9%±1Lowest IL: 17% 15.3%±3.4Highest IL: 17%
Plato Township and Elgin Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 27.6%Lowest IL: 37.8% 49.5%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6%±0.7Lowest IL: 6.3% 6.1%±2.1Highest IL: 6.3%
Plato Township and Elgin Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $92,771±$4kLowest 11% above IL $154,851±$28kHighest 86% above IL
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $281,600±$7kLowest 7% above IL $470,000±$20kHighest 79% above IL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,374±$57Highest 8% above IL $1,148±$95Lowest 10% below IL
Property taxmedian, yearly $6,441Lowest 22% above IL $10,000+Highest at least 89% above IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 50.8%±5.6Highest IL: 47.9% 3.9%±12.7Lowest IL: 47.9%
Below poverty line 9.8%Highest IL: 11.8% 3.4%Lowest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 72.5%Lowest IL: 67.1% 90.6%Highest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1976Lowest 5 yrs newer than IL 2003Highest 32 yrs newer than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minLowest about the IL average 35 minHighest 24% above IL
Work from home 12%±1.3Lowest IL: 15.9% 19.7%±4.3Highest IL: 15.9%
Work in townworking residents 18.9%Highest 2.9%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 13.8 miLowest 21.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.86Highest 0.17Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Elgin (21%)Chicago (15%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Plato TownshipFew work in Elgin Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 8.2%Lowest 9.8%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 24.6 miHighest 5.3 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.8 miHighest 0.2 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 65Highest 11Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 82.6Highest 14.1Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #280 of 384 in IL#76 of 384 in IL
School district Kane ROE · Central CUSD 301Kane ROE · Central CUSD 301
High school in town South Elgin High SchoolCentral High School
Students per teacherat that high school 15.3Lowest 18.4Highest
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 Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Elgin Township’s Town Square.

Plato Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Plato Township’s Town Square.

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Bordering Elgin Township

Towns like Elgin Township

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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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