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%

Herrin$760/mo

Typical home $113K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.82% · or rent about $1,002/mo · Housing →

Sterling$1,060/mo

Typical home $146K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.38% · or rent about $859/mo · Housing →

The difference: $290 a month, about $3,500 a year, between Sterling and Herrin.

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

Sterling places higher on 12 of 21 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.

Safety

C−HerrinSafer than 19% of U.S. towns –SterlingNot graded

Schools

B−HerrinBetter than 46% of districts in the state –SterlingNot graded

Health

CHerrinHealthier than 33% of U.S. towns C+SterlingHealthier than 36% of U.S. towns

8Herrin

12Sterling

Lists won, of 21 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Lowest depressionHealth · 861 towns #775#294 Most new homesHousing · 431 towns #125#338 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 861 towns #342#733 Lowest obesityHealth · 861 towns #737#404 Most remote workersWork · 849 towns #400#696 Most library borrowingLibraries · 262 towns #200#130 Most walkableOutdoors · 862 towns #237#59 Most-used librariesLibraries · 262 towns #197#146

Left end = #1 in Illinois. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Herrin’s rankings →

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

HerrinSterling

Snow a year10″29″

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)79th 44th

Outdoors & history

HerrinSterling

Trails1 mi 3 mi

Conserved land2.1%3.6%

Settled1816 1838

National Register places—2

Archive photos—6

Famous people born here—38

Community

HerrinSterling

Library hours a week47 hrs 49 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 1

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

279 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

HerrinIL SterlingIL

Herrin ↔ Sterling279 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

HerrinSterling

People

Population 12,226Lowest 14,717Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -1.2%Highest -3.9%Lowest

Median age 41.2±2.7Lowest 6% above IL 42.6±2.5Highest 9% above IL

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

Kids under 18 20.8%±2.8Highest IL: 21.8% 20.4%±2.3Lowest IL: 21.8%

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

Age 65+ 19.1%±2.9Lowest IL: 17% 21.9%±2.3Highest IL: 17%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 22.8%Highest IL: 37.8% 21.1%Lowest IL: 37.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4%±1.3Lowest IL: 6.3% 5%±1.5Highest IL: 6.3%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $59,975±$6kHighest 28% below IL $57,350±$5kLowest 31% below IL

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $113,300±$10kHighest 57% below IL $108,700±$6kLowest 59% below IL

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

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,002±$98Highest 21% below IL $859±$50Lowest 33% below IL

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,059Lowest 61% below IL $2,588Highest 51% below IL

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 51.1%±12.4Highest IL: 47.9% 45.3%±7.4Lowest IL: 47.9%

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

Below poverty line 14.5%Lowest IL: 11.8% 15.3%Highest IL: 11.8%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 65.7%Highest IL: 67.1% 65.1%Lowest IL: 67.1%

Typical home builtmedian year 1969Highest 2 yrs older than IL 1957Lowest 14 yrs older than IL

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 22 minHighest 21% below IL 18 minLowest 35% below IL

Work from home 10.9%±4.2Highest IL: 15.9% 5.8%±1.7Lowest IL: 15.9%

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

Work in townworking residents 16.6%Lowest 29.4%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.3 miHighest 5.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.82Lowest 1.32Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Marion (23%)Sterling Township (13%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in SterlingFew work in Herrin

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 2.1%Lowest 3.6%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 0.7 miLowest 2.8 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.5 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Lowest 16Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 76.6Lowest 111Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #193 of 384 in IL—

School district Herrin CUSD 4—

High school in town Herrin High School—

Students per teacherat that high school 12.8 —

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.

Herrin neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Herrin’s Town Square.

Sterling neighborsTown Square →

T Weaver · 1w

Supporting Local Businesses

1 neighbor in Sterling can answer.

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Bordering Herrin

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Energy1,050 people · $152K homes

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Crainville1,641 people · $185K homes

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Carterville5,818 people · $197K homes

Towns like Herrin

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Olney Township9,847 people · $109K homes

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LaSalle Township13,287 people · $123K homes

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Olney8,577 people · $100K homes

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Sterling Township17,089 people · $115K 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.

Herrin vs Sterling

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $290 more a month in Sterling

Sterling places higher on 12 of 21 IL lists

What daily life feels like in each

279 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Supporting Local Businesses

Set another town beside Herrin and Sterling

Bordering Herrin

Towns like Herrin

Post to Herrin

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