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Niantic vs Eastern Township

131 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (12.2× in Niantic) and jobs per worker (7.1× in Eastern Township).

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Niantic, ILHomes around $141KIllinois · 671 people
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Eastern Township, ILA regional job hubFranklin County · 600 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.

NianticHomes around $141K
Housing$141K typical home53% below the IL typical home All about Niantic →
Eastern TownshipA regional job hub
Work439 jobsbased in Eastern Township, a regional job hub All about Eastern 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.

Street grid12.2×
Niantic has the more walkable street grid
Niantic 36.7Eastern Township 3.0
Jobs per worker7.1×
Eastern Township is more of a job hub
Eastern Township 1.99Niantic 0.28
Trails6.7×
Eastern Township has more miles of trail
Eastern Township 2.0 miNiantic 0.3 mi
Average commute25 min
Niantic has the shorter commute
Eastern Township 50 minNiantic 25 min
Property tax bill+84%
Tax bills are bigger in Niantic
Niantic $2,430Eastern Township $1,319
Growth since 2010+14.6 pts
Eastern Township has grown faster since 2010
Eastern Township +1.2%Niantic -13.4%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $190 more a month in Niantic

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.

Niantic$990/mo
Typical home $141K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.12% · or rent about $1,066/mo · Housing →
Eastern Township$800/mo
Typical home $132K (Census) · tax rate 1.00% · or rent about $1,000/mo · Housing →

The difference: $190 a month, about $2,200 a year, between Niantic and Eastern 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.

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
–NianticNot graded BEastern TownshipBetter than 59% of districts in the state
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
NianticEastern Township
Snow a year19″13″
January low—22°F
July high—89°F
Growing season (days)—190d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)38th64th
Outdoors & history
NianticEastern Township
Trails0 mi2 mi
Conserved land0%0%
Archive photos6—
Famous people born here1—
Community
NianticEastern Township
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

131 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

NianticILEastern TownshipFranklin County
Niantic ↔ Eastern Township131 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.

NianticEastern Township
People
Population 671Highest 600Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -13.4%Lowest +1.2%Highest
Median age 33.8±6.6Lowest 13% below IL 33.9±4.6Highest 13% below IL
Eastern Township and Niantic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 32.2%±9.4Highest IL: 21.8% 31.8%±8.1Lowest IL: 21.8%
Niantic and Eastern Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 12.5%±2.9Lowest IL: 17% 18.8%±0.8Highest IL: 17%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 8.4%Lowest IL: 37.8% 13%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.1%±3.3Lowest IL: 6.3% 3.5%±1.9Highest IL: 6.3%
Eastern Township and Niantic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $67,155±$9kHighest 19% below IL $60,781±$21kLowest 27% below IL
Niantic and Eastern Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $114,800±$11kLowest 56% below IL $132,200±$17kHighest 50% below IL
Eastern Township and Niantic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,066±$364Highest 16% below IL $1,000±$489Lowest 22% below IL
Niantic and Eastern Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,430Highest 54% below IL $1,319Lowest 75% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 68%±91Highest IL: 47.9% 46.9%±61.7Lowest IL: 47.9%
Niantic and Eastern Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 7.7%Lowest IL: 11.8% 18%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 88.6%Highest IL: 67.1% 84.8%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1944Lowest 27 yrs older than IL 1983Highest 12 yrs newer than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 25 minLowest 12% below IL 50 minHighest 78% above IL
Work from home 4.9%±3.2Lowest IL: 15.9% 6.9%±4.8Highest IL: 15.9%
Eastern Township and Niantic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.8%Lowest 4.1%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 13.3 miLowest 21.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.28Lowest 1.99Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Decatur (50%)Marion (12%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Eastern TownshipFew work in Niantic
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.3 miLowest 2.0 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 36.7Highest 3.0Lowest
Schools
School district —Akin CCSD 91
High school in town —None in town
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.

Niantic neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Niantic’s Town Square.

Eastern Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Eastern Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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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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