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Lancaster Township vs Freeport

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (26.3× in Freeport) and size (18.1× in Freeport).

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Lancaster Township, ILOne of the healthiest townsStephenson County · 1,296 people
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Freeport, ILHomes around $131KIllinois · 23,505 people
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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.

Lancaster TownshipOne of the healthiest towns
Health73% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Lancaster Township →
FreeportHomes around $131K
Housing$131K typical home56% below the IL typical home Outdoors#192 most conserved land in IL2.3 miles of trails across 9 parks and preserves HistorySettled in 18273 places on the National Register All about Freeport →
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.

Street grid26.3×
Freeport has the more walkable street grid
Freeport 81.6Lancaster Township 3.1
Size18.1×
Freeport is the bigger place
Freeport 23,505Lancaster Township 1,296
Household income+76%
Households in Lancaster Township earn more
Lancaster Township $91,250Freeport $51,723
Home values+67%
Homes cost more in Lancaster Township
Lancaster Township $154,100Freeport $92,100
Homeowners+39.3 pts renters
Freeport has more renters
Lancaster Township 98.4%Freeport 59.1%
Work in town+33.6 pts
More of Freeport’s workers stay in town
Freeport 35.9%Lancaster Township 2.3%
★ 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.

Lancaster Township$1,090/mo
Typical home $154K (Census) · tax rate 2.17% · Housing →
Freeport$970/mo
Typical home $131K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.62% · or rent about $793/mo · Housing →

The difference: $120 a month, about $1,400 a year, between Lancaster Township and Freeport.

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.

Where they are

Lancaster Township and Freeport share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

Lancaster TownshipFreeportLancaster TownshipFreeport
Lancaster Township ↔ Freeport4.7 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
166 Lancaster Township residents work in Freeport (25.8% of its workers)
166 Freeport residents work in Lancaster Township (1.7% of its workers)
Work & commute in Lancaster Township →
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.

Safety
–Lancaster TownshipNot graded C+FreeportSafer than 39% of U.S. towns
Health
CLancaster TownshipHealthier than 27% of U.S. towns C−FreeportHealthier than 17% of U.S. towns
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
Lancaster TownshipFreeport
Snow a year35″35″
January low11°F11°F
July high82°F82°F
Growing season (days)169d169d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)27th67th
Outdoors & history
Lancaster TownshipFreeport
Trails1 mi2 mi
Conserved land0.8%7.9%
Settled—1827
National Register places—3
Archive photos—18
Community
Lancaster TownshipFreeport
Library hours a week—58 hrs
Colleges in town—1
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.

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.

Lancaster TownshipFreeport
People
Population 1,296Lowest 23,505Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -12.4%Lowest -6.5%Highest
Median age 56±4.4Highest 44% above IL 42.8±1.4Lowest 10% above IL
Kids under 18 5.2%±3.8Lowest IL: 21.8% 21.2%±1.9Highest IL: 21.8%
Age 65+ 28.4%±6.7Highest IL: 17% 24%±1.9Lowest IL: 17%
Lancaster Township and Freeport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 12.6%Lowest IL: 37.8% 19%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0.6%±0.7Lowest IL: 6.3% 3.2%±1Highest IL: 6.3%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $91,250±$14kHighest 9% above IL $51,723±$4kLowest 38% below IL
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $154,100±$18kHighest 41% below IL $92,100±$7kLowest 65% below IL
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $793±$39 38% below IL
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,340Highest 37% below IL $2,411Lowest 54% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 100%±100Highest IL: 47.9% 44.8%±7.8Lowest IL: 47.9%
Lancaster Township and Freeport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 6.6%Lowest IL: 11.8% 19.6%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 98.4%Highest IL: 67.1% 59.1%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1957 14 yrs older than IL 1957 14 yrs older than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 18 minHighest 36% below IL 16 minLowest 43% below IL
Work from home 6.9%±3.5Lowest IL: 15.9% 10.1%±2.4Highest IL: 15.9%
Freeport and Lancaster Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 2.3%Lowest 35.9%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 23.3 miHighest 17.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.79Lowest 1.06Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Freeport (26%)Rockford (7%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 26% work in Freeport2% work in Lancaster Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.8%Lowest 7.9%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.8 miLowest 2.3 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.2 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 9Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 3.1Lowest 81.6Highest
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.

Lancaster Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lancaster Township’s Town Square.

Freeport neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Freeport’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Lancaster Township

+ Compare
Freeport Township23,505 people · $92K homes
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Silver Creek Township462 people · $186K homes
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Harlem Township1,993 people · $173K homes
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Dakota Township928 people · $156K homes

Towns like Lancaster Township

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+ Compare
Stevenson Township1,036 people · $135K homes
+ Compare
Cotton Hill Township1,099 people · $283K homes
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+ Compare
Newtown Township804 people · $216K homes
+ Compare
Pine Rock Township696 people · $192K 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.

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