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Compare towns

Leyden Township vs Elgin

24 miles apart. The biggest differences: typical home built (18 yrs in Leyden Township) and growth since 2010 (+5.9 pts in Elgin).

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Leyden Township, ILAn outdoors townCook County · 90,973 people
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Elgin, ILOne of the healthiest townsIllinois · 114,934 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.

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 $380 more a month in Elgin

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.

Leyden Township$2,040/mo
Typical home $288K (Census) · tax rate 2.20% · or rent about $1,246/mo · Housing →
Elgin$2,420/mo
Typical home $340K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.27% · or rent about $1,361/mo · Housing →

The difference: $380 a month, about $4,600 a year, between Elgin and Leyden Township.

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

Elgin places higher on 9 of 20 IL lists

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
Leyden TownshipElgin
Snow a year38″32″
January low19°F14°F
July high85°F84°F
Growing season (days)193d174d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)57th50th
Outdoors & history
Leyden TownshipElgin
Conserved land1.4%7.1%
Settled—1835
National Register places—12
Archive photos312
Community
Leyden TownshipElgin
Library hours a week67 hrs71 hrs
Colleges in town—2
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

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

24 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Leyden TownshipElginLeyden TownshipElgin
Leyden Township ↔ Elgin24 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.

Leyden TownshipElgin
People
Population 90,973Lowest 114,934Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +0.2%Lowest +6.1%Highest
Median age 39.2±1.1Highest about the IL average 36.7±1.3Lowest 6% below IL
Kids under 18 21.8%±1.4Lowest IL: 21.8% 25.3%±1.4Highest IL: 21.8%
Age 65+ 15.5%±1Highest IL: 17% 13.5%±1Lowest IL: 17%
Leyden Township and Elgin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 25%Lowest IL: 37.8% 27%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.2%±0.8Lowest IL: 6.3% 6.1%±0.6Highest IL: 6.3%
Elgin and Leyden Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $79,935±$5kLowest 4% below IL $90,282±$3kHighest 8% above IL
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $288,200±$6kHighest 9% above IL $273,000±$6kLowest 4% above IL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,246±$37Lowest about the IL average $1,361±$65Highest 7% above IL
Property taxmedian, yearly $6,344Highest 20% above IL $6,184Lowest 17% above IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 44.2%±4.9Lowest IL: 47.9% 49%±5.1Highest IL: 47.9%
Elgin and Leyden Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 8.2%Lowest IL: 11.8% 9.8%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 65.5%Lowest IL: 67.1% 71.9%Highest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1959Lowest 12 yrs older than IL 1977Highest 6 yrs newer than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 29 minHighest 4% above IL 28 minLowest about the IL average
Work from home 9.9%±1.2Lowest IL: 15.9% 12.8%±1.4Highest IL: 15.9%
Work in townworking residents 13.3%Lowest 19.8%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.8 miLowest 14.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.63Highest 1.01Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Chicago (28%)Chicago (11%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in ElginFew work in Leyden Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.4%Lowest 7.1%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 12.5 miLowest 19.7 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.6 miHighest 0.5 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 37Lowest 76Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 83.5Highest 76.9Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #248 of 384 in IL—
School district Region 06 West Cook ISC 2 · Berkeley SD 87—
High school in town East Leyden High School—
Students per teacherat that high school 14.9 —
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.

Leyden Township neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Leyden Living Perks

1 neighbor in Leyden Township can answer.

Elgin neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Elgin’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Leyden Township and Elgin

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

Bordering Leyden Township

Towns like Leyden Township

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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