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Gardner vs Garfield Township

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (4.6× in Gardner).

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Gardner, ILHomes around $206KIllinois · 1,410 people
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Garfield Township, ILA small town of 1,511Grundy County · 1,511 people
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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.

GardnerHomes around $206K
Housing$206K typical home31% below the IL typical home All about Gardner →
Garfield TownshipA small town of 1,511
Quiet strengthsGarfield Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Garfield Township →
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.

Street grid4.6×
Gardner has the more walkable street grid
Gardner 53.3Garfield Township 11.6
★ What stands out · Where they are

Gardner and Garfield Township share a border

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

GardnerGarfield TownshipGardnerGarfield Township
Gardner ↔ Garfield Township3.3 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
26 Garfield Township residents work in Gardner (3.9% of its workers)
Work & commute in Garfield Township →
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.

Gardner$1,420/mo
Typical home $206K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.96% · or rent about $979/mo · Housing →
Garfield Township$1,350/mo
Typical home $194K (Census) · tax rate 2.02% · or rent about $974/mo · Housing →

The difference: $70 a month, about $800 a year, between Gardner and Garfield 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.

Schools
–GardnerNot graded B−Garfield TownshipBetter than 54% of districts in the state
Health
C+GardnerHealthier than 44% of U.S. towns C+Garfield TownshipHealthier than 44% 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
GardnerGarfield Township
Snow a year23″23″
January low14°F14°F
July high84°F84°F
Growing season (days)170d170d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)76th76th
Outdoors & history
GardnerGarfield Township
Archive photos10—
Community
GardnerGarfield Township
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.

GardnerGarfield Township
People
Population 1,410Lowest 1,511Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -6.6%Highest -8.3%Lowest
Median age 38.5±8.1Lowest about the IL average 39.1±8.6Highest about the IL average
Garfield Township and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 18.7%±4.1Lowest IL: 21.8% 19.1%±4Highest IL: 21.8%
Garfield Township and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 11.6%±2.1Lowest IL: 17% 12.6%±2.1Highest IL: 17%
Garfield Township and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 17.4%Lowest IL: 37.8% 17.7%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.6%±2Highest IL: 6.3% 4.3%±1.8Lowest IL: 6.3%
Gardner and Garfield Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $88,092±$10k 6% above IL $88,092±$10k 6% above IL
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $199,600±$22kHighest 24% below IL $194,400±$21kLowest 26% below IL
Gardner and Garfield Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $979±$127Highest 23% below IL $974±$121Lowest 24% below IL
Gardner and Garfield Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,914Lowest 26% below IL $3,929Highest 26% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 41.7%±23.8Highest IL: 47.9% 41%±23.6Lowest IL: 47.9%
Gardner and Garfield Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 16.1%Highest IL: 11.8% 16%Lowest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 75%Lowest IL: 67.1% 76.7%Highest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1964Lowest 7 yrs older than IL 1965Highest 6 yrs older than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 30 min 8% above IL 30 min 8% above IL
Work from home 1.7%±1.5Highest IL: 15.9% 1.6%±1.4Lowest IL: 15.9%
Gardner and Garfield Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 4%Highest 3.9%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 29.8 mi 29.8 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.59Highest 0.54Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Chicago (10%)Chicago (10%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Garfield Township4% work in Gardner
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
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 53.3Highest 11.6Lowest
Schools
School district —Gardner CCSD 72C · Gardner S Wilmington Twp HSD 73
High school in town —Gardner-South Wilmington Twp H S
Students per teacherat that high school — 8.6
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.

Gardner neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Gardner’s Town Square.

Garfield Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Garfield Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Gardner

G
+ Compare
Greenfield Township789 people · $183K homes

Towns like Gardner

+ Compare
Hebron1,261 people · $208K homes
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Lowe Township1,775 people · $159K homes
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Edgington Township1,505 people · $181K homes
M
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Martin Township1,222 people · $146K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Illinois towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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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