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Mills Township vs Central Township

Next-door neighbors in Bond County. The biggest differences: size (19.9× in Central Township) and street grid (6.9× in Central Township).

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Mills Township, ILA small town of 407Bond County · 407 people
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Central Township, ILKnown for its schoolsBond County · 8,081 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.

Mills TownshipA small town of 407
Quiet strengthsMills Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Mills Township →
Central TownshipKnown for its schools
Schools#176 for schools in ILof 384 towns Health57% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Central Township →
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.

Size19.9×
Central Township is the bigger place
Central Township 8,081Mills Township 407
Street grid6.9×
Central Township has the more walkable street grid
Central Township 13.2Mills Township 1.9
Median age21 yrs
Mills Township skews older
Mills Township 58Central Township 37
Work from home+20.9 pts
More people work from home in Mills Township
Mills Township 29.2%Central Township 8.3%
Homeowners+30.8 pts renters
Central Township has more renters
Mills Township 96.4%Central Township 65.6%
Work in town+28.7 pts
More of Central Township’s workers stay in town
Central Township 31.1%Mills Township 2.4%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $390 more a month in Mills Township

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.

Mills Township$1,410/mo
Typical home $230K (Census) · tax rate 1.08% · Housing →
Central Township$1,030/mo
Typical home $142K (Census) · tax rate 2.40% · or rent about $786/mo · Housing →

The difference: $390 a month, about $4,600 a year, between Mills Township and Central 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.

Where they are

Mills Township and Central Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Mills TownshipCentral TownshipMills TownshipCentral Township
Mills Township ↔ Central Township5.6 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
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.

Schools
–Mills TownshipNot graded BCentral TownshipBetter than 62% of districts in the state
Health
–Mills TownshipNot graded C+Central TownshipHealthier than 43% 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
Mills TownshipCentral Township
Snow a year12″12″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)64th52nd
Outdoors & history
Mills TownshipCentral Township
Trails3 mi3 mi
Conserved land0%1.1%
Famous people born here1—
Community
Mills TownshipCentral Township
Library hours a week—46 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined01

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.

Mills TownshipCentral Township
People
Population 407Lowest 8,081Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -14.3%Lowest -0.6%Highest
Median age 58±4.4Highest 49% above IL 37±1.5Lowest 5% below IL
Kids under 18 6.6%±9.8Lowest IL: 21.8% 15.3%±2.7Highest IL: 21.8%
Central Township and Mills Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 10.8%±9.9Lowest IL: 17% 15.9%±2.5Highest IL: 17%
Central Township and Mills Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 30.7%Highest IL: 37.8% 25.7%Lowest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.9%±12.4Lowest IL: 6.3% 13.4%±2.4Highest IL: 6.3%
Central Township and Mills Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian — $65,676±$8k 21% below IL
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $230,000±$84kHighest 13% below IL $141,500±$24kLowest 46% below IL
Mills Township and Central Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $786±$149 38% below IL
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,475Lowest 53% below IL $3,398Highest 36% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent — 34%±15.6 IL: 47.9%
Below poverty line 2%Lowest IL: 11.8% 11.6%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 96.4%Highest IL: 67.1% 65.6%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1997Highest 26 yrs newer than IL 1974Lowest 3 yrs newer than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 11 minLowest 59% below IL 21 minHighest 24% below IL
Work from home 29.2%±14.1Highest IL: 15.9% 8.3%±4.4Lowest IL: 15.9%
Work in townworking residents 2.4%Lowest 31.1%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 25.3 miLowest 28.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.58Lowest 1.35Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Greenville (14%)Greenville (30%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Central TownshipFew work in Mills Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 1.1%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 3.3 miHighest 2.6 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 mi 0.1 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 7Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.9Lowest 13.2Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#176 of 384 in IL
School district —Bond County CUSD 2
High school in town —Bond Cty Comm Unit 2 High School
Students per teacherat that high school — 13.9
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.

Mills Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mills Township’s Town Square.

Central Township neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Weekend Plans Ahead

1 neighbor in Central Township can answer.

Add a town

Set another town beside Mills Township and Central Township

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

Bordering Mills Township

T
+ Compare
Tamalco Township720 people · $114K homes
B
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Burgess Township1,928 people · $114K homes
W
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Wheatfield Township386 people · $245K homes

Towns like Mills Township

C
+ Compare
Condit Township445 people · $213K homes
U
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Ustick Township410 people · $218K homes
+ Compare
Grand Detour Township419 people · $202K homes
B
+ Compare
Burton Township627 people · $244K 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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