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Compare towns

Elmhurst vs Wheaton

9 miles apart. The biggest differences: household income (+25% in Elmhurst) and home values (+20% in Elmhurst).

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Elmhurst, ILHometown of 78 notable peopleIllinois · 45,671 people
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Wheaton, ILAn outdoors townIllinois · 53,557 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 $710 more a month in Elmhurst

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.

Elmhurst$4,300/mo
Typical home $642K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.74% · or rent about $1,975/mo · Housing →
Wheaton$3,590/mo
Typical home $515K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.07% · or rent about $1,799/mo · Housing →

The difference: $710 a month, about $8,500 a year, between Elmhurst and Wheaton.

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

Wheaton places higher on 11 of 23 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
ElmhurstWheaton
Snow a year42″42″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)62nd43rd
Outdoors & history
ElmhurstWheaton
Trails7 mi8 mi
Conserved land6%7.4%
Settled18821831
National Register places66
Archive photos24—
Famous people born here78—
Community
ElmhurstWheaton
Library hours a week70 hrs68 hrs
Colleges in town11
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

9 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

ElmhurstWheatonElmhurstWheaton
Elmhurst ↔ Wheaton8.9 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.

ElmhurstWheaton
People
Population 45,671Lowest 53,557Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +3.8%Highest +2%Lowest
Median age 42±1.3Highest 8% above IL 36.8±0.8Lowest 6% below IL
Kids under 18 24.2%±1.4Highest IL: 21.8% 22%±1.4Lowest IL: 21.8%
Elmhurst and Wheaton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 19%±1.5Highest IL: 17% 17.5%±1.1Lowest IL: 17%
Elmhurst and Wheaton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 64.2%Lowest IL: 37.8% 64.5%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.3%±1Lowest IL: 6.3% 10.7%±0.9Highest IL: 6.3%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $149,644±$10kHighest 79% above IL $120,008±$4kLowest 44% above IL
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $545,400±$28kHighest 107% above IL $455,700±$10kLowest 73% above IL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,975±$142Highest 55% above IL $1,799±$83Lowest 41% above IL
Elmhurst and Wheaton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $9,466Highest 79% above IL $9,443Lowest 78% above IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 47.7%±6.6Highest IL: 47.9% 44%±5.3Lowest IL: 47.9%
Elmhurst and Wheaton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 3.3%Lowest IL: 11.8% 5.6%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 79.9%Highest IL: 67.1% 71.7%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1966Lowest 5 yrs older than IL 1976Highest 5 yrs newer than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 29 minHighest 5% above IL 26 minLowest 8% below IL
Work from home 26.5%±2.1Highest IL: 15.9% 25.7%±1.8Lowest IL: 15.9%
Elmhurst and Wheaton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 11.5%Highest 11%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.8 mi 10.8 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.51Highest 0.83Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Chicago (21%)Chicago (18%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in WheatonFew work in Elmhurst
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 6%Lowest 7.4%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 7.0 miLowest 8.1 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 mi 0.7 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 24Lowest 46Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 95.8Lowest 105Highest
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.

Elmhurst neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Elmhurst’s Town Square.

Wheaton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Wheaton’s Town Square.

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Bordering Elmhurst

Towns like Elmhurst

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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