Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Mitchell vs Pontoon Beach

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (7.3× in Pontoon Beach) and street grid (3.5× in Mitchell).

M ×
Mitchell, ILOne of the healthiest townsIllinois · 1,092 people
×
Pontoon Beach, ILAn outdoors townIllinois · 6,025 people
Swap order
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.

MitchellOne of the healthiest towns
Health88% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Mitchell →
Pontoon BeachAn outdoors town
Outdoors#21 most conserved land in IL5.5 miles of trails across 1 parks and preserves Housing$195K typical home35% below the IL typical home Health79% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Pontoon Beach →
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.

Jobs per worker7.3×
Pontoon Beach is more of a job hub
Pontoon Beach 1.32Mitchell 0.18
Street grid3.5×
Mitchell has the more walkable street grid
Mitchell 66.3Pontoon Beach 19.1
Size5.5×
Pontoon Beach is the bigger place
Pontoon Beach 6,025Mitchell 1,092
Homeowners+29.4 pts renters
Pontoon Beach has more renters
Mitchell 99%Pontoon Beach 69.6%
Property tax bill+49%
Tax bills are bigger in Pontoon Beach
Pontoon Beach $2,386Mitchell $1,604
Conserved land+22.2 pts
Pontoon Beach has more conserved land
Pontoon Beach 24.4%Mitchell 2.2%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $570 more a month in Pontoon Beach

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.

Mitchell$710/mo
Typical home $111K (Census) · tax rate 1.45% · Housing →
Pontoon Beach$1,290/mo
Typical home $195K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.64% · or rent about $1,277/mo · Housing →

The difference: $570 a month, about $6,900 a year, between Pontoon Beach and Mitchell.

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

Mitchell and Pontoon Beach share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

MitchellPontoon BeachMitchellPontoon Beach
Mitchell ↔ Pontoon Beach3.4 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
10 Mitchell residents work in Pontoon Beach (2% of its workers)
Work & commute in Mitchell →
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.

Safety
–MitchellNot graded CPontoon BeachSafer than 34% of U.S. towns
Health
DMitchellHealthier than 12% of U.S. towns C−Pontoon BeachHealthier than 21% 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
MitchellPontoon Beach
Snow a year11″11″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)65th82nd
Outdoors & history
MitchellPontoon Beach
Trails—6 mi
Conserved land—24.4%
Community
MitchellPontoon Beach
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.

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.

MitchellPontoon Beach
People
Population 1,092Lowest 6,025Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -10.3%Lowest +0.7%Highest
Median age 43.4±10.1Highest 11% above IL 34.9±2.6Lowest 11% below IL
Mitchell and Pontoon Beach are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 18.7%±9.8Lowest IL: 21.8% 26.9%±4.9Highest IL: 21.8%
Pontoon Beach and Mitchell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 18.1%±4.9Highest IL: 17% 13.2%±2.7Lowest IL: 17%
Mitchell and Pontoon Beach are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 9.6%Lowest IL: 37.8% 15.5%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0.8%±1.8Lowest IL: 6.3% 5.5%±2.6Highest IL: 6.3%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $60,450±$8kLowest 28% below IL $62,861±$13kHighest 25% below IL
Pontoon Beach and Mitchell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $110,500±$23kLowest 58% below IL $145,100±$21kHighest 45% below IL
Pontoon Beach and Mitchell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $1,277±$113 about the IL average
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,604Lowest 70% below IL $2,386Highest 55% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100Lowest IL: 47.9% 48%±16.3Highest IL: 47.9%
Pontoon Beach and Mitchell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 1.8%Lowest IL: 11.8% 21.7%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 99%Highest IL: 67.1% 69.6%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1958Lowest 13 yrs older than IL 1990Highest 19 yrs newer than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 27 minHighest about the IL average 23 minLowest 19% below IL
Work from home 5.4%±5.7Lowest IL: 15.9% 6.2%±2.6Highest IL: 15.9%
Pontoon Beach and Mitchell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 3.8%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.8 mi 10.8 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.18Lowest 1.32Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Edwardsville (14%)Granite City (12%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 2% work in Pontoon BeachFew work in Mitchell
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.2%Lowest 24.4%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 5.5 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.5 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 1Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 66.3Highest 19.1Lowest
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.

Mitchell neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mitchell’s Town Square.

Pontoon Beach neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Pontoon Beach’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Mitchell and Pontoon Beach

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

Bordering Mitchell

+ Compare
Edwardsville26,474 people · $300K homes

Towns like Mitchell

B
+ Compare
Buckheart Township1,312 people · $112K homes
W
+ Compare
Woodbury Township580 people · $89K homes
O
+ Compare
Onarga Township1,591 people · $108K homes
S
+ Compare
Shoal Creek Township1,494 people · $110K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Illinois towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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.

Post to Mitchell

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in