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Garfield Township vs Gardner

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

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

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 →
GardnerHomes around $206K
Housing$206K typical home31% below the IL typical home All about Gardner →
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

Garfield Township and Gardner share a border

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

Garfield TownshipGardnerGarfield TownshipGardner
Garfield Township ↔ Gardner3.3 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.

Garfield Township$1,350/mo
Typical home $194K (Census) · tax rate 2.02% · or rent about $974/mo · Housing →
Gardner$1,420/mo
Typical home $206K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.96% · or rent about $979/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
B−Garfield TownshipBetter than 54% of districts in the state –GardnerNot graded
Health
C+Garfield TownshipHealthier than 44% of U.S. towns C+GardnerHealthier 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
Garfield TownshipGardner
Snow a year23″23″
January low14°F14°F
July high84°F84°F
Growing season (days)170d170d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)76th76th
Outdoors & history
Garfield TownshipGardner
Archive photos—10
Community
Garfield TownshipGardner
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.

Garfield TownshipGardner
People
Population 1,511Highest 1,410Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -8.3%Lowest -6.6%Highest
Median age 39.1±8.6Highest about the IL average 38.5±8.1Lowest 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 19.1%±4Highest IL: 21.8% 18.7%±4.1Lowest 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+ 12.6%±2.1Highest IL: 17% 11.6%±2.1Lowest 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+ 17.7%Highest IL: 37.8% 17.4%Lowest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.3%±1.8Lowest IL: 6.3% 4.6%±2Highest 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 $194,400±$21kLowest 26% below IL $199,600±$22kHighest 24% 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 $974±$121Lowest 24% below IL $979±$127Highest 23% 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 $3,929Highest 26% below IL $3,914Lowest 26% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 41%±23.6Lowest IL: 47.9% 41.7%±23.8Highest 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%Lowest IL: 11.8% 16.1%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 76.7%Highest IL: 67.1% 75%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1965Highest 6 yrs older than IL 1964Lowest 7 yrs older than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 30 min 8% above IL 30 min 8% above IL
Work from home 1.6%±1.4Lowest IL: 15.9% 1.7%±1.5Highest 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 3.9%Lowest 4%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 29.8 mi 29.8 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.54Lowest 0.59Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Chicago (10%)Chicago (10%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 4% work in GardnerFew work in Garfield Township
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 11.6Lowest 53.3Highest
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.

Garfield Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Garfield Township’s Town Square.

Gardner neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Gardner’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Garfield Township

G
+ Compare
Greenfield Township789 people · $183K homes
G
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Goodfarm Township234 people · $248K homes
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Maine Township201 people · $305K homes

Towns like Garfield Township

+ 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
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+ Compare
Otto Township1,935 people · $180K 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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