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Compare towns

Freeport vs Mattoon

205 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (+91% in Mattoon) and property tax bill (+24% in Freeport).

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Freeport, ILHomes around $131KIllinois · 23,505 people
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Mattoon, ILHomes around $131KIllinois · 16,586 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 · Report cards

Freeport places higher on 13 of 25 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.

Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

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 →
Mattoon$900/mo
Typical home $131K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.99% · or rent about $740/mo · Housing →

The difference: $70 a month, about $800 a year, between Freeport and Mattoon.

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.

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
FreeportMattoon
Snow a year35″15″
January low11°F20°F
July high82°F86°F
Growing season (days)169d199d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)67th73rd
Outdoors & history
FreeportMattoon
Trails2 mi4 mi
Conserved land7.9%1.9%
Settled18271853
National Register places37
Archive photos1818
Famous people born here—36
Community
FreeportMattoon
Library hours a week58 hrs44 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

205 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Freeport ↔ Mattoon205 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.

FreeportMattoon
People
Population 23,505Highest 16,586Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -6.5%Highest -9.1%Lowest
Median age 42.8±1.4Highest 10% above IL 40.8±2.9Lowest 5% above IL
Freeport and Mattoon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 21.2%±1.9Highest IL: 21.8% 20.6%±2.4Lowest IL: 21.8%
Freeport and Mattoon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 24%±1.9Highest IL: 17% 19.3%±2Lowest IL: 17%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 19%Lowest IL: 37.8% 19.5%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.2%±1Lowest IL: 6.3% 4.5%±1.4Highest IL: 6.3%
Mattoon and Freeport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $51,723±$4kHighest 38% below IL $51,597±$5kLowest 38% below IL
Freeport and Mattoon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $92,100±$7kLowest 65% below IL $97,700±$7kHighest 63% below IL
Mattoon and Freeport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $793±$39Highest 38% below IL $740±$55Lowest 42% below IL
Freeport and Mattoon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,411Highest 54% below IL $1,941Lowest 63% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 44.8%±7.8Highest IL: 47.9% 36%±7.5Lowest IL: 47.9%
Freeport and Mattoon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 19.6%Lowest IL: 11.8% 21.3%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 59.1%Highest IL: 67.1% 55.8%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1957Highest 14 yrs older than IL 1956Lowest 15 yrs older than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 16 minLowest 43% below IL 18 minHighest 35% below IL
Work from home 10.1%±2.4Highest IL: 15.9% 4.6%±1.7Lowest IL: 15.9%
Work in townworking residents 35.9%Highest 32.8%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 17.8 miHighest 10.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.06Lowest 1.42Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Rockford (7%)Charleston (8%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in MattoonFew work in Freeport
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 7.9%Highest 1.9%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 2.3 miLowest 4.4 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miLowest 0.4 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 9Highest 7Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 81.6Lowest 84.1Highest
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.

Mattoon neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mattoon’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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