Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Joppa vs Bureau Junction

283 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (14× in Joppa) and property tax bill (2.4× in Bureau Junction).

×
Joppa, ILA small town of 259Illinois · 259 people
×
Bureau Junction, ILA small town of 264Illinois · 264 people
Swap order
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.

JoppaA small town of 259
Quiet strengthsJoppa doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Joppa →
Bureau JunctionA small town of 264
Quiet strengthsBureau Junction doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Bureau Junction →
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.

Jobs per worker14×
Joppa is more of a job hub
Joppa 0.42Bureau Junction 0.03
Property tax bill2.4×
Tax bills are bigger in Bureau Junction
Bureau Junction $1,308Joppa $542
Street grid4.4×
Joppa has the more walkable street grid
Joppa 91.2Bureau Junction 20.7
Trails3×
Bureau Junction has more miles of trail
Bureau Junction 1.8 miJoppa 0.6 mi
Household income+36%
Households in Bureau Junction earn more
Bureau Junction $56,538Joppa $41,563
Average commute8 min
Joppa has the shorter commute
Bureau Junction 32 minJoppa 24 min
★ 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.

Joppa$280/mo
Typical home $45K (Census) · tax rate 1.20% · or rent about $754/mo · Housing →
Bureau Junction$400/mo
Typical home $55K (Census) · tax rate 2.39% · or rent about $1,714/mo · Housing →

The difference: $120 a month, about $1,400 a year, between Bureau Junction and Joppa.

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

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+JoppaBetter than 41% of districts in the state –Bureau JunctionNot graded
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
JoppaBureau Junction
Snow a year9″29″
January low27°F14°F
July high90°F85°F
Growing season (days)206d177d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)81st33rd
Outdoors & history
JoppaBureau Junction
Trails—2 mi
Conserved land—9.6%
Archive photos112
Famous people born here—1
Community
JoppaBureau Junction
Library hours a week—15 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.

Where they are

283 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

JoppaILBureau JunctionIL
Joppa ↔ Bureau Junction283 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.

JoppaBureau Junction
People
Population 259Lowest 264Highest
Median age 32.3±24.3Lowest 17% below IL 34.7±7.3Highest 11% below IL
Bureau Junction and Joppa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 23.2%±9.1Highest IL: 21.8% 22.3%±7.9Lowest IL: 21.8%
Joppa and Bureau Junction are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 20.5%±6.5Highest IL: 17% 13.6%±9.4Lowest IL: 17%
Joppa and Bureau Junction are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 8.8%Highest IL: 37.8% 6.7%Lowest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0.8%±1.6Lowest IL: 6.3% 3%±6.4Highest IL: 6.3%
Bureau Junction and Joppa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $41,563±$8kLowest 50% below IL $56,538±$5kHighest 32% below IL
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $45,000±$33kLowest 83% below IL $54,800±$5kHighest 79% below IL
Bureau Junction and Joppa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $754±$399Lowest 41% below IL $1,714±$868Highest 35% above IL
Bureau Junction and Joppa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $542Lowest 90% below IL $1,308Highest 75% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 44.4%±49.5Highest IL: 47.9% 41.2%±59.5Lowest IL: 47.9%
Joppa and Bureau Junction are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 22.4%Highest IL: 11.8% 22.1%Lowest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 62.1%Lowest IL: 67.1% 62.5%Highest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1963Highest 8 yrs older than IL 1952Lowest 19 yrs older than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 24 minLowest 14% below IL 32 minHighest 16% above IL
Work from home 0%±26Lowest IL: 15.9% 0.7%±1.3Highest IL: 15.9%
Bureau Junction and Joppa 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 14.8 miLowest 28.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.42Highest 0.03Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Metropolis (24%)Peru (8%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Bureau JunctionFew work in Joppa
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 9.6%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.6 miLowest 1.8 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.2 miHighest 1.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 2Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 91.2Highest 20.7Lowest
Schools
School district Joppa-Maple Grove UD 38—
High school in town Joppa Jr & Sr High School—
Students per teacherat that high school 8.1 —
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.

Joppa neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Joppa’s Town Square.

Bureau Junction neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bureau Junction’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Joppa and Bureau Junction

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

Towns like Joppa

L
+ Compare
Leepertown Township307 people · $56K homes
H
+ Compare
Harvel201 people · $55K homes
+ Compare
Ludlow372 people · $73K homes
L
+ Compare
Lenzburg428 people · $78K 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.

Post to Joppa

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in