Compare towns
Iola vs Basco 171 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (2.2× in Basco) and typical home built (37 yrs in Basco).
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Iola, IL A small town of 90 Illinois · 90 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.
Iola A small town of 90
Quiet strengths Iola doesn’t stand out on the data we have Neighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Iola →
Basco A small town of 59
Quiet strengths Basco doesn’t stand out on the data we have Neighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Basco →
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.
Down payment3.5% 10% 20% Rate
Iola $400 /mo
Typical home $65K (Census) · tax rate 1.08% · Housing →
Basco $290 /mo
Typical home $43K (Census) · tax rate 1.80% · Housing →
The difference: $110 a month , about $1,400 a year , between Iola and Basco.
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.
Outdoors & history
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 171 miles apart Straight-line miles between town centers.
Iola ↔ Basco 171 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.
Raising kids Affordability Owning a home Short commute Working from home Younger crowd Settled, older crowd Growing town Outdoorsy Walkable streets
Population
90 Highest 59 Lowest
Median age
44 ±33.7 Lowest 13% above IL 48.2 ±31.4 Highest 24% above IL
Kids under 18
17.8% ±27.3 Lowest IL: 21.8% 18.6% ±55.8 Highest IL: 21.8%
Age 65+
14.4% ±35.8 Lowest IL: 17% 20.3% ±49.9 Highest IL: 17%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+
2.8% Lowest IL: 37.8% 10% Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents
1.1% ±14.6 Highest IL: 6.3% 0% ±31.2 Lowest IL: 6.3%
Household incomemedian
$46,250 ±$44k Highest 45% below IL $40,000 ±$25k Lowest 52% below IL
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied
$65,000 ±$30k Highest 75% below IL $42,500 ±$38k Lowest 84% below IL
Property taxmedian, yearly
$700 Lowest 87% below IL $763 Highest 86% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent
0% ±100 IL: 47.9% —
Below poverty line
15.6% Lowest IL: 11.8% 16.9% Highest IL: 11.8%
Homeownersof occupied homes
83.3% Highest IL: 67.1% 78.1% Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year
1975 Highest 4 yrs newer than IL 1938 Lowest 33 yrs older than IL
Average commuteone way
27 min Highest about the IL average 25 min Lowest 11% below IL
Work from home
0% ±25 IL: 15.9% 0% ±50 IL: 15.9%
Work in townworking residents
0% 0%
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line
21.8 mi Lowest 28.8 mi Highest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub
0.13 Lowest 0.23 Highest
Top workplaceoutside town
Louisville (15%) Macomb (14%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others
Few work in Basco Few work in Iola
Conserved landshare of the town
0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles
0.5 mi Highest 0.0 mi Lowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi
0.5 mi Highest 0.0 mi Lowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map
0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure
19.9 Lowest 44.6 Highest
“±” Census margin of error ACS 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.
Iola or Basco: which would you pick? → What’s it really like to live in Iola? → Moving to Iola: what should I know? →
Your question goes to Iola’s Town Square.
Basco or Iola: which would you pick? → What’s it really like to live in Basco? → Moving to Basco: what should I know? →
Your question goes to Basco’s Town Square.
Add a town Set another town beside Iola and Basco One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.
Towns like Iola 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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