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Harlem Township vs Freeport

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (22.1× in Freeport) and size (11.8× in Freeport).

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Harlem Township, ILAn outdoors townStephenson County · 1,993 people
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Freeport, ILHomes around $131KIllinois · 23,505 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.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

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 $310 more a month in Harlem Township

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.

Harlem Township$1,280/mo
Typical home $173K (Census) · tax rate 2.56% · or rent about $891/mo · Housing →
Freeport$970/mo
Typical home $131K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.62% · or rent about $793/mo · Housing →

The difference: $310 a month, about $3,700 a year, between Harlem Township and Freeport.

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

Harlem Township and Freeport share a border

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

Harlem TownshipFreeportHarlem TownshipFreeport
Harlem Township ↔ Freeport4.6 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
343 Harlem Township residents work in Freeport (34.8% of its workers)
Work & commute in Harlem Township →
Report cards

Harlem Township places higher on 12 of 19 IL lists

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
Harlem TownshipFreeport
Snow a year35″35″
January low11°F11°F
July high82°F82°F
Growing season (days)169d169d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)36th67th
Outdoors & history
Harlem TownshipFreeport
Trails7 mi2 mi
Conserved land1.4%7.9%
Settled—1827
National Register places23
Archive photos—18
Community
Harlem TownshipFreeport
Library hours a week—58 hrs
Colleges in town—1
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.

Harlem TownshipFreeport
People
Population 1,993Lowest 23,505Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -11.5%Lowest -6.5%Highest
Median age 57.8±2.6Highest 48% above IL 42.8±1.4Lowest 10% above IL
Kids under 18 11.4%±3Lowest IL: 21.8% 21.2%±1.9Highest IL: 21.8%
Age 65+ 34.9%±6.4Highest IL: 17% 24%±1.9Lowest IL: 17%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 17%Lowest IL: 37.8% 19%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.7%±1.8Lowest IL: 6.3% 3.2%±1Highest IL: 6.3%
Freeport and Harlem Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $95,000±$17kHighest 14% above IL $51,723±$4kLowest 38% below IL
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $173,000±$17kHighest 34% below IL $92,100±$7kLowest 65% below IL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $891±$752Highest 30% below IL $793±$39Lowest 38% below IL
Harlem Township and Freeport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,432Highest 16% below IL $2,411Lowest 54% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±61.9Lowest IL: 47.9% 44.8%±7.8Highest IL: 47.9%
Freeport and Harlem Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 6.1%Lowest IL: 11.8% 19.6%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 95.3%Highest IL: 67.1% 59.1%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1974Highest 3 yrs newer than IL 1957Lowest 14 yrs older than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 31 minHighest 13% above IL 16 minLowest 43% below IL
Work from home 6.7%±3.7Lowest IL: 15.9% 10.1%±2.4Highest IL: 15.9%
Freeport and Harlem Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.9%Lowest 35.9%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 13.8 miLowest 17.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.33Lowest 1.06Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Freeport (35%)Rockford (7%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 35% work in FreeportFew work in Harlem Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.4%Lowest 7.9%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 7.2 miHighest 2.3 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 mi 0.2 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Lowest 9Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 3.7Lowest 81.6Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #241 of 384 in IL—
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.

Harlem Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Harlem Township’s Town Square.

Freeport neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Freeport’s Town Square.

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Bordering Harlem Township

Towns like Harlem 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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