Compare towns
Junction vs Barstow 285 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (4.2× in Barstow) and street grid (3× in Barstow).
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.
Junction A small town of 42
Quiet strengths Junction doesn’t stand out on the data we have Neighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Junction →
Barstow A small town of 34
Quiet strengths Barstow doesn’t stand out on the data we have Neighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Barstow →
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 $610 more a month in Barstow 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
Junction $420 /mo
Typical home $72K (Census) · tax rate 0.79% · Housing →
Barstow $1,030 /mo
Typical home $159K (Census) · tax rate 1.49% · Housing →
The difference: $610 a month , about $7,300 a year , between Barstow and Junction.
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 285 miles apart Straight-line miles between town centers.
Junction ↔ Barstow 285 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
42 Highest 34 Lowest
Median age
40.3 ±22.5 Highest 3% above IL 36.3 ±20.1 Lowest 7% below IL
Kids under 18
26.2% ±65.3 Lowest IL: 21.8% 32.4% ±84.6 Highest IL: 21.8%
Age 65+
26.2% ±75.8 Highest IL: 17% 0% ±100 Lowest IL: 17%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+
3.3% Lowest IL: 37.8% 8.7% Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents
2.4% ±31.7 Highest IL: 6.3% 0% ±54.1 Lowest IL: 6.3%
Household incomemedian
$55,625 ±$29k Lowest 33% below IL $77,813 ±$21k Highest 7% below IL
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied
$71,700 ±$36k Lowest 73% below IL $159,400 ±$59k Highest 39% below IL
Property taxmedian, yearly
$567 Lowest 89% below IL $2,375 Highest 55% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent
0% ±100 IL: 47.9% 0% ±100 IL: 47.9%
Below poverty line
9.5% Highest IL: 11.8% 0% Lowest IL: 11.8%
Homeownersof occupied homes
68.4% Lowest IL: 67.1% 69.2% Highest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year
1975 Highest 4 yrs newer than IL 1941 Lowest 30 yrs older than IL
Work from home
0% ±92.9 IL: 15.9% 0% ±100 IL: 15.9%
Work in townworking residents
0% 0%
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line
23.3 mi Highest 10.3 mi Lowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub
0.00 0.00
Top workplaceoutside town
Black Township (27%) Moline (17%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others
Few work in Barstow Few work in Junction
Conserved landshare of the town
0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles
0.2 mi Highest 0.0 mi Lowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi
0.3 mi Highest 0.0 mi Lowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map
0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure
25.5 Lowest 77.5 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.
Junction or Barstow: which would you pick? → What’s it really like to live in Junction? → Moving to Junction: what should I know? →
Your question goes to Junction’s Town Square.
Barstow or Junction: which would you pick? → What’s it really like to live in Barstow? → Moving to Barstow: what should I know? →
Your question goes to Barstow’s Town Square.
Add a town Set another town beside Junction and Barstow One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.
Towns like Junction 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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