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Compare towns

Mason vs Joy

195 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (33× in Joy) and street grid (2.7× in Joy).

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Mason, ILA small town of 467Illinois · 467 people
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Joy, ILHomes around $181KIllinois · 387 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.

MasonA small town of 467
Quiet strengthsMason doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Mason →
JoyHomes around $181K
Housing$181K typical home39% below the IL typical home All about Joy →
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.

Jobs per worker33×
Joy is more of a job hub
Joy 0.33Mason 0.01
Street grid2.7×
Joy has the more walkable street grid
Joy 86.7Mason 32.6
Average commute14 min
Mason has the shorter commute
Joy 38 minMason 23 min
Typical home built28 yrs
Joy’s homes are older
Mason 1973Joy 1945
Property tax bill+31%
Tax bills are bigger in Joy
Joy $1,958Mason $1,491
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $780 more a month in Joy

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.

Mason$560/mo
Typical home $83K (Census) · tax rate 1.80% · or rent about $911/mo · Housing →
Joy$1,340/mo
Typical home $181K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.57% · or rent about $965/mo · Housing →

The difference: $780 a month, about $9,300 a year, between Joy and Mason.

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.

Seasons
MasonJoy
Snow a year15″22″
January low20°F13°F
July high89°F85°F
Growing season (days)191d181d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)52nd82nd
Outdoors & history
MasonJoy
Settled18651869
Famous people born here—1
Community
MasonJoy
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

195 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

MasonILJoyIL
Mason ↔ Joy195 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.

MasonJoy
People
Population 467Highest 387Lowest
Median age 29.8±11.3Lowest 24% below IL 33±4.1Highest 15% below IL
Joy and Mason are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 32.3%±10Highest IL: 21.8% 25.3%±6.7Lowest IL: 21.8%
Mason and Joy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 10.7%±2.7Lowest IL: 17% 15%±3.4Highest IL: 17%
Joy and Mason are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 5%Lowest IL: 37.8% 8.1%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0.9%±3Lowest IL: 6.3% 2.3%±2Highest IL: 6.3%
Joy and Mason are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $65,455±$12kHighest 22% below IL $56,250±$18kLowest 33% below IL
Mason and Joy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $82,900±$14kHighest 69% below IL $76,100±$13kLowest 71% below IL
Mason and Joy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $911±$584Lowest 28% below IL $965±$61Highest 24% below IL
Joy and Mason are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,491Lowest 72% below IL $1,958Highest 63% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 59.1%±82.2Highest IL: 47.9% 28%±77Lowest IL: 47.9%
Mason and Joy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 35.5%Highest IL: 11.8% 12.3%Lowest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 78%Lowest IL: 67.1% 83.4%Highest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1973Highest 2 yrs newer than IL 1945Lowest 26 yrs older than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 23 minLowest 16% below IL 38 minHighest 36% above IL
Work from home 4.4%±5.2Highest IL: 15.9% 4%±3.3Lowest IL: 15.9%
Mason and Joy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0% 0%
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.3 miLowest 25.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.01Lowest 0.33Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Effingham (39%)Aledo (19%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in JoyFew work in Mason
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 32.6Lowest 86.7Highest
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.

Mason neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mason’s Town Square.

Joy neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Joy’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Mason and Joy

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Towns like Mason

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Versailles441 people · $91K homes
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Ashley412 people · $83K homes
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Willisville467 people · $57K 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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