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Makanda Township vs Willowbrook

293 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (25.3× in Makanda Township) and jobs per worker (11.6× in Willowbrook).

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Makanda Township, ILAn outdoors townJackson County · 4,031 people
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Willowbrook, ILAn outdoors townIllinois · 9,131 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 part ways

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 $690 more a month in Willowbrook

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.

Makanda Township$1,400/mo
Typical home $198K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.18% · or rent about $925/mo · Housing →
Willowbrook$2,090/mo
Typical home $325K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.42% · or rent about $1,747/mo · Housing →

The difference: $690 a month, about $8,300 a year, between Willowbrook and Makanda 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.

Life in each

Willowbrook gets 31 more inches of snow a year

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
Makanda TownshipWillowbrook
Snow a year11″42″
January low23°F—
July high88°F—
Growing season (days)195d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)74th38th
Outdoors & history
Makanda TownshipWillowbrook
Trails38 mi2 mi
Conserved land14.3%2.8%
Settled—1960
National Register places21
Archive photos241
Community
Makanda TownshipWillowbrook
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.

Report cards

Willowbrook places higher on 11 of 19 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.

Where they are

293 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Makanda Township ↔ Willowbrook293 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.

Makanda TownshipWillowbrook
People
Population 4,031Lowest 9,131Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -7.3%Lowest +8.1%Highest
Median age 42.1±3.2Lowest 8% above IL 45±5.2Highest 15% above IL
Willowbrook and Makanda Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 24.3%±4.6Highest IL: 21.8% 15%±2.5Lowest IL: 21.8%
Age 65+ 19.5%±3Lowest IL: 17% 26.6%±3.5Highest IL: 17%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 59.9%Highest IL: 37.8% 53.1%Lowest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.5%±2.3Lowest IL: 6.3% 10.4%±2.6Highest IL: 6.3%
Willowbrook and Makanda Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $84,688±$14kLowest about the IL average $99,239±$4kHighest 19% above IL
Willowbrook and Makanda Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $215,900±$36kLowest 18% below IL $358,600±$30kHighest 36% above IL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $925±$56Lowest 27% below IL $1,747±$103Highest 37% above IL
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,714Lowest 11% below IL $5,075Highest 4% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 35%±12.9Lowest IL: 47.9% 41.8%±14.2Highest IL: 47.9%
Willowbrook and Makanda Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 8.5%Highest IL: 11.8% 6.6%Lowest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 69.1%Lowest IL: 67.1% 72.6%Highest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1981Highest 10 yrs newer than IL 1980Lowest 9 yrs newer than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 21 minLowest 25% below IL 27 minHighest 4% below IL
Work from home 14%±4.3Highest IL: 15.9% 11.7%±3.6Lowest IL: 15.9%
Makanda Township and Willowbrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 3.1%Highest 2.5%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.8 miLowest 13.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.14Lowest 1.62Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Carbondale (39%)Chicago (26%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in WillowbrookFew work in Makanda Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 14.3%Highest 2.8%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 37.9 miHighest 1.5 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.0 miHighest 0.6 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Lowest 6Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 14.4Lowest 113Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #113 of 384 in IL—
School district Tri-County Sp Ed Jnt Agreement · Giant City CCSD 130—
High school in town None in town—
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.

Makanda Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Makanda Township’s Town Square.

Willowbrook neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Willowbrook’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Makanda Township and Willowbrook

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Bordering Makanda Township

Towns like Makanda 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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