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Gays vs Perry

122 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (+73% in Perry).

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Gays, ILHomes around $194KIllinois · 165 people

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Perry, ILA small town of 206Illinois · 206 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.

GaysHomes around $194K

Housing$194K typical home35% below the IL typical home All about Gays →

PerryA small town of 206

Quiet strengthsPerry doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.

All about Perry →

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 grid+73%

Perry has the more walkable street grid

Perry 108Gays 62.1

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $660 more a month in Gays

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.

Down paymentRate%

Gays$1,220/mo

Typical home $194K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.26% · or rent about $875/mo · Housing →

Perry$570/mo

Typical home $87K (Census) · tax rate 1.53% · or rent about $396/mo · Housing →

The difference: $660 a month, about $7,900 a year, between Gays and Perry.

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

GaysPerry

Snow a year14″21″

January low19°F 18°F

July high85°F 87°F

Growing season (days)187d 179d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)76th 55th

Outdoors & history

GaysPerry

National Register places—1

Archive photos2 —

Community

GaysPerry

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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

122 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

GaysIL PerryIL

Gays ↔ Perry122 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.

Only big differences vs Illinois average

GaysPerry

People

Population 165Lowest 206Highest

Median age 54.9±8Lowest 41% above IL 56.6±4.2Highest 45% above IL

Perry and Gays are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 12.7%±10.7Highest IL: 21.8% 8.7%±7.5Lowest IL: 21.8%

Gays and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 30.9%±5.3Lowest IL: 17% 36.4%±5.1Highest IL: 17%

Perry and Gays are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 14.6%Highest IL: 37.8% 11.4%Lowest IL: 37.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.8%±10.2Highest IL: 6.3% 3.4%±7.1Lowest IL: 6.3%

Gays and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $52,188±$20kHighest 37% below IL $44,792±$35kLowest 46% below IL

Gays and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $93,000±$23kHighest 65% below IL $86,900±$12kLowest 67% below IL

Gays and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $875±$96Highest 31% below IL $396±$394Lowest 69% below IL

Gays and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,172Lowest 78% below IL $1,333Highest 75% below IL

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 23.5%±100Lowest IL: 47.9% 26.7%±89Highest IL: 47.9%

Perry and Gays are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 10.4%Lowest IL: 11.8% 18.9%Highest IL: 11.8%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 78.3%Lowest IL: 67.1% 81.9%Highest IL: 67.1%

Typical home builtmedian year 1953Lowest 18 yrs older than IL 1961Highest 10 yrs older than IL

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 33 minHighest 18% above IL 31 minLowest 12% above IL

Work from home 3%±4.3Lowest IL: 15.9% 5.7%±6.2Highest IL: 15.9%

Perry and Gays are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 0% 0%

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 20.8 miLowest 27.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.00Lowest 0.23Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Arthur (16%)Springfield (12%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in PerryFew work in Gays

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 62.1Lowest 108Highest

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.

Gays neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Gays’s Town Square.

Perry neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Perry’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Gays and Perry

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Towns like Gays

Arlington157 people · $106K homes

Tate Township208 people · $127K homes

Buck Township205 people · $84K homes

Allerton205 people · $106K 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.