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Compare towns

Forrest vs Tompkins Township

121 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (38.3× in Forrest) and jobs per worker (11× in Forrest).

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Forrest, ILHomes around $180KIllinois · 994 people
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Tompkins Township, ILA small town of 1,056Warren County · 1,056 people
Swap order
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.

ForrestHomes around $180K
Housing$180K typical home40% below the IL typical home All about Forrest →
Tompkins TownshipA small town of 1,056
Quiet strengthsTompkins Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Tompkins Township →
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.

Street grid38.3×
Forrest has the more walkable street grid
Forrest 130Tompkins Township 3.4
Jobs per worker11×
Forrest is more of a job hub
Forrest 1.10Tompkins Township 0.10
Property tax bill+73%
Tax bills are bigger in Forrest
Forrest $2,910Tompkins Township $1,679
Growth since 2010+12.7 pts
Tompkins Township has grown faster since 2010
Tompkins Township -2%Forrest -14.7%
Rent+28%
Rent runs higher in Tompkins Township
Tompkins Township $938Forrest $730
Average commute4 min
Tompkins Township has the shorter commute
Forrest 26 minTompkins Township 22 min
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $660 more a month in Forrest

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.

Forrest$1,330/mo
Typical home $180K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.58% · or rent about $730/mo · Housing →
Tompkins Township$670/mo
Typical home $101K (Census) · tax rate 1.66% · or rent about $938/mo · Housing →

The difference: $660 a month, about $7,900 a year, between Forrest and Tompkins 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

Grades and rankings, side by side

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.

Health
–ForrestNot graded BTompkins TownshipHealthier than 58% of U.S. towns
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
ForrestTompkins Township
Snow a year14″26″
January low—15°F
July high—84°F
Growing season (days)—174d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)68th66th
Outdoors & history
ForrestTompkins Township
Trails—1 mi
Conserved land—0%
Settled18661853
Archive photos5—
Famous people born here4—
Community
ForrestTompkins Township
Library hours a week36 hrs15 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.

Where they are

121 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

ForrestILTompkins TownshipWarren County
Forrest ↔ Tompkins Township121 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.

ForrestTompkins Township
People
Population 994Lowest 1,056Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -14.7%Lowest -2%Highest
Median age 34.1±6.8Highest 13% below IL 33.7±8.3Lowest 14% below IL
Forrest and Tompkins Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 23.2%±5.2Lowest IL: 21.8% 29.8%±6.6Highest IL: 21.8%
Tompkins Township and Forrest are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 16.5%±2.9Highest IL: 17% 16.2%±2.6Lowest IL: 17%
Forrest and Tompkins Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 18.9%Lowest IL: 37.8% 22.8%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.8%±1.4Lowest IL: 6.3% 3.6%±2Highest IL: 6.3%
Tompkins Township and Forrest are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $73,426±$7kLowest 12% below IL $82,083±$16kHighest about the IL average
Tompkins Township and Forrest are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $113,000±$14kHighest 57% below IL $101,300±$12kLowest 62% below IL
Forrest and Tompkins Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $730±$50Lowest 43% below IL $938±$68Highest 26% below IL
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,910Highest 45% below IL $1,679Lowest 68% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 11.8%±22.9Lowest IL: 47.9% 36.5%±16.2Highest IL: 47.9%
Tompkins Township and Forrest are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 10%Highest IL: 11.8% 8.5%Lowest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 79%Lowest IL: 67.1% 80.6%Highest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1955Highest 16 yrs older than IL 1949Lowest 22 yrs older than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 26 minHighest 6% below IL 22 minLowest 22% below IL
Work from home 5.7%±4.1Highest IL: 15.9% 5.1%±5.2Lowest IL: 15.9%
Forrest and Tompkins Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 9.3%Highest 1.5%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 21.3 mi 21.3 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.10Highest 0.10Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Fairbury (10%)Monmouth (23%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Tompkins TownshipFew work in Forrest
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 1.4 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 130Highest 3.4Lowest
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.

Forrest neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Forrest’s Town Square.

Tompkins Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Tompkins Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Forrest

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Payson1,100 people · $132K homes

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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