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Compare towns

Mattoon vs Freeport

205 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (+91% in Mattoon) and property tax bill (+24% in Freeport).

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Mattoon, ILHomes around $131KIllinois · 16,586 people
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Freeport, ILHomes around $131KIllinois · 23,505 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 · Report cards

Freeport places higher on 13 of 25 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.

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.

Mattoon$900/mo
Typical home $131K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.99% · or rent about $740/mo · Housing →
Freeport$970/mo
Typical home $131K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.62% · or rent about $793/mo · Housing →

The difference: $70 a month, about $800 a year, between Freeport and Mattoon.

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
MattoonFreeport
Snow a year15″35″
January low20°F11°F
July high86°F82°F
Growing season (days)199d169d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)73rd67th
Outdoors & history
MattoonFreeport
Trails4 mi2 mi
Conserved land1.9%7.9%
Settled18531827
National Register places73
Archive photos1818
Famous people born here36—
Community
MattoonFreeport
Library hours a week44 hrs58 hrs
Colleges in town11
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

205 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Mattoon ↔ Freeport205 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.

MattoonFreeport
People
Population 16,586Lowest 23,505Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -9.1%Lowest -6.5%Highest
Median age 40.8±2.9Lowest 5% above IL 42.8±1.4Highest 10% above IL
Freeport and Mattoon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 20.6%±2.4Lowest IL: 21.8% 21.2%±1.9Highest IL: 21.8%
Freeport and Mattoon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 19.3%±2Lowest IL: 17% 24%±1.9Highest IL: 17%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 19.5%Highest IL: 37.8% 19%Lowest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.5%±1.4Highest IL: 6.3% 3.2%±1Lowest IL: 6.3%
Mattoon and Freeport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $51,597±$5kLowest 38% below IL $51,723±$4kHighest 38% below IL
Freeport and Mattoon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $97,700±$7kHighest 63% below IL $92,100±$7kLowest 65% below IL
Mattoon and Freeport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $740±$55Lowest 42% below IL $793±$39Highest 38% below IL
Freeport and Mattoon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,941Lowest 63% below IL $2,411Highest 54% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 36%±7.5Lowest IL: 47.9% 44.8%±7.8Highest IL: 47.9%
Freeport and Mattoon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 21.3%Highest IL: 11.8% 19.6%Lowest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 55.8%Lowest IL: 67.1% 59.1%Highest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1956Lowest 15 yrs older than IL 1957Highest 14 yrs older than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 18 minHighest 35% below IL 16 minLowest 43% below IL
Work from home 4.6%±1.7Lowest IL: 15.9% 10.1%±2.4Highest IL: 15.9%
Work in townworking residents 32.8%Lowest 35.9%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.3 miLowest 17.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.42Highest 1.06Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Charleston (8%)Rockford (7%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in FreeportFew work in Mattoon
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.9%Lowest 7.9%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 4.4 miHighest 2.3 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miHighest 0.2 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 7Lowest 9Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 84.1Highest 81.6Lowest
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.

Mattoon neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mattoon’s Town Square.

Freeport neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Freeport’s Town Square.

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Bordering Mattoon

Towns like Mattoon

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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