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Garfield Township vs Otto Township

23 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (4.8× in Garfield Township) and growth since 2010 (+8.9 pts in Garfield Township).

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Garfield Township, ILA small town of 1,511Grundy County · 1,511 people
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Otto Township, ILA small town of 1,935Kankakee County · 1,935 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.

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 →
Otto TownshipA small town of 1,935
Quiet strengthsOtto Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Otto 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.

★ What stands out · 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 →
Otto Township$1,290/mo
Typical home $180K (Census) · tax rate 2.29% · or rent about $1,106/mo · Housing →

The difference: $60 a month, about $700 a year, between Garfield Township and Otto 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.

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 TownshipOtto Township
Snow a year23″21″
January low14°F16°F
July high84°F85°F
Growing season (days)170d188d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)76th77th
Outdoors & history
Garfield TownshipOtto Township
Trails—2 mi
Conserved land—0.1%
Community
Garfield TownshipOtto 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.

Where they are

23 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Garfield TownshipOtto TownshipGarfield TownshipOtto Township
Garfield Township ↔ Otto Township23 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.

Garfield TownshipOtto Township
People
Population 1,511Lowest 1,935Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -8.3%Highest -17.2%Lowest
Median age 39.1±8.6Lowest about the IL average 41.5±4Highest 6% above IL
Otto Township and Garfield Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 19.1%±4Lowest IL: 21.8% 24.8%±5.9Highest IL: 21.8%
Otto Township and Garfield Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 12.6%±2.1Lowest IL: 17% 17.8%±2.7Highest IL: 17%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 17.7%Highest IL: 37.8% 16.4%Lowest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.3%±1.8Highest IL: 6.3% 3.4%±2.2Lowest IL: 6.3%
Garfield Township and Otto 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±$10kHighest 6% above IL $80,250±$27kLowest 4% below IL
Garfield Township and Otto Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $194,400±$21kHighest 26% below IL $179,800±$22kLowest 32% below IL
Garfield Township and Otto 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 $1,106±$61Highest 13% below IL
Otto Township and Garfield Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,929Lowest 26% below IL $4,110Highest 22% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 41%±23.6Highest IL: 47.9% 17.9%±25.7Lowest IL: 47.9%
Garfield Township and Otto Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 16%Highest IL: 11.8% 5.5%Lowest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 76.7%Highest IL: 67.1% 75.6%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1965Lowest 6 yrs older than IL 1972Highest 1 yr newer than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 30 minHighest 8% above IL 26 minLowest 8% below IL
Work from home 1.6%±1.4Lowest IL: 15.9% 5.3%±3.4Highest IL: 15.9%
Otto Township 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%Highest 3.6%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 29.8 miHighest 17.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.54Lowest 0.55Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Chicago (10%)Kankakee (18%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Otto TownshipFew work in Garfield Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 0.1%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 1.6 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 3Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 11.6Highest 2.4Lowest
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.

Otto Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Otto Township’s Town Square.

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Bordering Garfield Township

Towns like Garfield Township

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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