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Goode Township vs Sesser

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (19× in Sesser) and trails (2× in Goode Township).

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Goode Township, ILOne of the healthiest townsFranklin County · 2,604 people
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Sesser, ILHomes around $109KIllinois · 2,023 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.

Goode TownshipOne of the healthiest towns
Health70% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates SchoolsBetter than 35%of IL districts All about Goode Township →
SesserHomes around $109K
Housing$109K typical home63% below the IL typical home Health72% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Sesser →
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 grid19×
Sesser has the more walkable street grid
Sesser 177Goode Township 9.3
Trails2×
Goode Township has more miles of trail
Goode Township 0.6 miSesser 0.3 mi
★ 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.

Goode Township$630/mo
Typical home $91K (Census) · tax rate 2.04% · or rent about $724/mo · Housing →
Sesser$770/mo
Typical home $109K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.12% · or rent about $726/mo · Housing →

The difference: $130 a month, about $1,600 a year, between Sesser and Goode 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.

Where they are

Goode Township and Sesser share a border

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

Goode TownshipSesserGoode TownshipSesser
Goode Township ↔ Sesser1.9 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
47 Goode Township residents work in Sesser (4.6% of its workers)
43 Sesser residents work in Goode Township (6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Goode Township →
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
C+Goode TownshipBetter than 35% of districts in the state –SesserNot graded
Health
CGoode TownshipHealthier than 30% of U.S. towns CSesserHealthier than 28% 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
Goode TownshipSesser
Snow a year8″8″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)71st71st
Outdoors & history
Goode TownshipSesser
Trails1 mi0 mi
Conserved land0%0%
National Register places—1
Community
Goode TownshipSesser
Library hours a week37 hrs37 hrs
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.

Goode TownshipSesser
People
Population 2,604Highest 2,023Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -2.3%Lowest -2.2%Highest
Median age 42.2±5.9Highest 8% above IL 38.3±6.1Lowest about the IL average
Goode Township and Sesser are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 21%±5.1Lowest IL: 21.8% 23.6%±6Highest IL: 21.8%
Sesser and Goode Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 18.6%±3.7Highest IL: 17% 16.5%±3.8Lowest IL: 17%
Goode Township and Sesser are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 16.7%Lowest IL: 37.8% 18%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.4%±3Lowest IL: 6.3% 7.6%±3.7Highest IL: 6.3%
Sesser and Goode Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $59,420±$15kHighest 29% below IL $52,604±$11kLowest 37% below IL
Goode Township and Sesser are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $91,200±$14kHighest 65% below IL $82,300±$12kLowest 69% below IL
Goode Township and Sesser are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $724±$123Lowest 43% below IL $726±$131Highest 43% below IL
Sesser and Goode Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,859Highest 65% below IL $1,743Lowest 67% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 50.9%±24.9Lowest IL: 47.9% 51.5%±27.7Highest IL: 47.9%
Sesser and Goode Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 19.6% IL: 11.8% 19.6% IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 75.4%Highest IL: 67.1% 71.7%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1957Highest 14 yrs older than IL 1954Lowest 17 yrs older than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 33 minLowest 19% above IL 35 minHighest 27% above IL
Work from home 7.4%±3.5Highest IL: 15.9% 5.4%±3.8Lowest IL: 15.9%
Goode Township and Sesser are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 10.8%Highest 4.3%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 18.3 miHighest 17.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.33Highest 0.26Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Mount Vernon (22%)Mount Vernon (21%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 5% work in Sesser6% work in Goode Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.6 miHighest 0.3 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.3 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1 1
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 9.3Lowest 177Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #204 of 384 in IL—
School district Franklin-Jefferson Co Sp Ed Dist · Sesser-Valier CUSD 196—
High school in town Sesser-Valier High School—
Students per teacherat that high school 10.2 —
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.

Goode Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Goode Township’s Town Square.

Sesser neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sesser’s Town Square.

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Bordering Goode Township

T
+ Compare
Tyrone Township4,636 people · $83K homes
B
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Barren Township311 people · $157K homes
B
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Bald Hill Township805 people · $161K homes

Towns like Goode Township

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Oblong Township2,739 people · $103K homes
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Galva Township2,669 people · $89K homes
W
+ Compare
White Hall Township2,450 people · $68K homes
+ Compare
Galva2,454 people · $84K 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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