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Compare towns

Joppa vs Harvel

153 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (4.7× in Joppa) and property tax bill (+85% in Harvel).

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Joppa, ILA small town of 259Illinois · 259 people
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Harvel, ILHomes around $158KIllinois · 201 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.

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 →
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 $780 more a month in Harvel

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 →
Harvel$1,070/mo
Typical home $158K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.82% · or rent about $759/mo · Housing →

The difference: $780 a month, about $9,400 a year, between Harvel 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.

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
JoppaHarvel
Snow a year9″16″
January low27°F19°F
July high90°F86°F
Growing season (days)206d190d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)81st53rd
Outdoors & history
JoppaHarvel
Archive photos11—
Community
JoppaHarvel
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

153 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Joppa ↔ Harvel153 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.

JoppaHarvel
People
Population 259Highest 201Lowest
Median age 32.3±24.3Lowest 17% below IL 36.2±14.1Highest 7% below IL
Harvel 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% 21.4%±11.6Lowest IL: 21.8%
Joppa and Harvel 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% 13.9%±15.1Lowest IL: 17%
Joppa and Harvel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 8.8%Lowest IL: 37.8% 13.8%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0.8%±1.6Highest IL: 6.3% 0%±9.1Lowest IL: 6.3%
Joppa and Harvel 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 $61,250±$21kHighest 27% below IL
Harvel and Joppa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $45,000±$33kLowest 83% below IL $55,000±$9kHighest 79% below IL
Harvel 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 $759±$26Highest 40% below IL
Harvel 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 $1,000Highest 81% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 44.4%±49.5Highest IL: 47.9% 7.1%±80.9Lowest IL: 47.9%
Joppa and Harvel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 22.4%Lowest IL: 11.8% 23.9%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 62.1%Lowest IL: 67.1% 62.3%Highest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1963Highest 8 yrs older than IL 1956Lowest 15 yrs older than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 24 minLowest 14% below IL 34 minHighest 24% above IL
Work from home 0%±26 IL: 15.9% 0%±12.5 IL: 15.9%
Work in townworking residents 0% 0%
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.8 miLowest 23.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.42Highest 0.09Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Metropolis (24%)Raymond (14%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in HarvelFew work in Joppa
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.6 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.2 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 91.2Highest 47.0Lowest
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.

Harvel neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Harvel’s Town Square.

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Towns like Joppa

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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