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Freeport vs Harlem Township

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (22.1× in Freeport) and size (11.8× in Freeport).

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Freeport, ILHomes around $131KIllinois · 23,505 people
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Harlem Township, ILAn outdoors townStephenson County · 1,993 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 $310 more a month in Harlem 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.

Freeport$970/mo
Typical home $131K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.62% · or rent about $793/mo · Housing →
Harlem Township$1,280/mo
Typical home $173K (Census) · tax rate 2.56% · or rent about $891/mo · Housing →

The difference: $310 a month, about $3,700 a year, between Harlem Township and Freeport.

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.

Where they are

Freeport and Harlem Township share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

FreeportHarlem TownshipFreeportHarlem Township
Freeport ↔ Harlem Township4.6 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
343 Harlem Township residents work in Freeport (34.8% of its workers)
Work & commute in Harlem Township →
Report cards

Harlem Township places higher on 12 of 19 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
FreeportHarlem Township
Snow a year35″35″
January low11°F11°F
July high82°F82°F
Growing season (days)169d169d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)67th36th
Outdoors & history
FreeportHarlem Township
Trails2 mi7 mi
Conserved land7.9%1.4%
Settled1827—
National Register places32
Archive photos18—
Community
FreeportHarlem Township
Library hours a week58 hrs—
Colleges in town1—
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.

FreeportHarlem Township
People
Population 23,505Highest 1,993Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -6.5%Highest -11.5%Lowest
Median age 42.8±1.4Lowest 10% above IL 57.8±2.6Highest 48% above IL
Kids under 18 21.2%±1.9Highest IL: 21.8% 11.4%±3Lowest IL: 21.8%
Age 65+ 24%±1.9Lowest IL: 17% 34.9%±6.4Highest IL: 17%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 19%Highest IL: 37.8% 17%Lowest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.2%±1Highest IL: 6.3% 1.7%±1.8Lowest IL: 6.3%
Freeport and Harlem Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $51,723±$4kLowest 38% below IL $95,000±$17kHighest 14% above IL
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $92,100±$7kLowest 65% below IL $173,000±$17kHighest 34% below IL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $793±$39Lowest 38% below IL $891±$752Highest 30% below IL
Harlem Township and Freeport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,411Lowest 54% below IL $4,432Highest 16% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 44.8%±7.8Highest IL: 47.9% 0%±61.9Lowest IL: 47.9%
Freeport and Harlem Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 19.6%Highest IL: 11.8% 6.1%Lowest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 59.1%Lowest IL: 67.1% 95.3%Highest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1957Lowest 14 yrs older than IL 1974Highest 3 yrs newer than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 16 minLowest 43% below IL 31 minHighest 13% above IL
Work from home 10.1%±2.4Highest IL: 15.9% 6.7%±3.7Lowest IL: 15.9%
Freeport and Harlem Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 35.9%Highest 1.9%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 17.8 miHighest 13.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.06Highest 0.33Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Rockford (7%)Freeport (35%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Harlem Township35% work in Freeport
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 7.9%Highest 1.4%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 2.3 miLowest 7.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 mi 0.2 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 9Highest 3Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 81.6Highest 3.7Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#241 of 384 in IL
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.

Freeport neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Freeport’s Town Square.

Harlem Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Harlem Township’s Town Square.

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Bordering Freeport

Towns like Freeport

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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