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Compare towns

Morrison vs Lena

40 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (17× in Morrison) and property tax bill (+41% in Lena).

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Morrison, ILHomes around $171KIllinois · 3,739 people
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Lena, ILHomes around $213KIllinois · 2,761 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 $340 more a month in Lena

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.

Morrison$1,180/mo
Typical home $171K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.01% · or rent about $760/mo · Housing →
Lena$1,520/mo
Typical home $213K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.28% · or rent about $664/mo · Housing →

The difference: $340 a month, about $4,100 a year, between Lena and Morrison.

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.

Report cards

Morrison 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.

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
MorrisonLena
Snow a year32″36″
January low12°F12°F
July high83°F82°F
Growing season (days)167d165d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)52nd26th
Outdoors & history
MorrisonLena
Trails2 mi0 mi
Conserved land4.6%3.6%
Settled—1834
National Register places22
Archive photos1215
Famous people born here131
Community
MorrisonLena
Library hours a week35 hrs48 hrs
Colleges in town1—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

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

40 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Morrison ↔ Lena40 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.

MorrisonLena
People
Population 3,739Highest 2,761Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -2.5%Highest -4.8%Lowest
Median age 41.4±4.2Highest 6% above IL 41.2±7.3Lowest 6% above IL
Morrison and Lena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 22.6%±5.8Lowest IL: 21.8% 25.8%±4.7Highest IL: 21.8%
Lena and Morrison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 21.7%±3.3Lowest IL: 17% 22.1%±4.3Highest IL: 17%
Lena and Morrison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 27.9%Highest IL: 37.8% 24.6%Lowest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.8%±1.8Highest IL: 6.3% 2%±1.5Lowest IL: 6.3%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $69,089±$6kLowest 17% below IL $72,663±$9kHighest 13% below IL
Lena and Morrison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $118,000±$12kLowest 55% below IL $146,000±$13kHighest 45% below IL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $760±$164Highest 40% below IL $664±$53Lowest 48% below IL
Morrison and Lena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,366Lowest 55% below IL $3,332Highest 37% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 27.5%±14.2Lowest IL: 47.9% 43%±14.3Highest IL: 47.9%
Lena and Morrison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 8.1%Highest IL: 11.8% 3.1%Lowest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 78.1%Highest IL: 67.1% 76.4%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1958Lowest 13 yrs older than IL 1971Highest same as IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 18 minLowest 35% below IL 26 minHighest 6% below IL
Work from home 7.1%±4.1Lowest IL: 15.9% 10.8%±6.2Highest IL: 15.9%
Lena and Morrison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 23.5%Highest 13.5%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.8 miLowest 17.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.97Highest 0.61Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Clinton (9%)Freeport (15%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in LenaFew work in Morrison
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 4.6%Highest 3.6%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 1.7 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 6Highest 3Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 76.0Highest 54.6Lowest
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.

Morrison neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 5d

Morrison Size and Heart

1 neighbor in Morrison can answer.

Lena neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lena’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Morrison and Lena

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Towns like Morrison

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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