Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Normal vs Normal Township

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (+73% in Normal).

×
Normal, ILHomes around $268KIllinois · 53,569 people
×
Normal Township, ILKnown for its schoolsMcLean County · 52,417 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 · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $400 more a month in Normal

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.

Normal$1,900/mo
Typical home $268K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.22% · or rent about $965/mo · Housing →
Normal Township$1,500/mo
Typical home $211K (Census) · tax rate 2.22% · or rent about $969/mo · Housing →

The difference: $400 a month, about $4,800 a year, between Normal and Normal 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

Normal and Normal Township share a border

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

NormalNormal TownshipNormalNormal Township
Normal ↔ Normal Township1.2 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
5,148 Normal Township residents work in Normal (25.6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Normal Township →
Report cards

Normal places higher on 9 of 20 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
NormalNormal Township
Snow a year7″20″
January low—16°F
July high—86°F
Growing season (days)—172d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)49th47th
Outdoors & history
NormalNormal Township
Conserved land5%2.9%
Settled18651865
National Register places8—
Archive photos1818
Famous people born here4141
Community
NormalNormal Township
Library hours a week62 hrs62 hrs
Colleges in town2—
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.

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.

NormalNormal Township
People
Population 53,569Highest 52,417Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +0.5%Highest -1.1%Lowest
Median age 25±0.7 36% below IL 25±0.7 36% below IL
Kids under 18 16.1%±1.3Highest IL: 21.8% 15.4%±1.3Lowest IL: 21.8%
Normal and Normal Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 12.1%±1Lowest IL: 17% 12.2%±1Highest IL: 17%
Normal Township and Normal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 52.9%Highest IL: 37.8% 52.3%Lowest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 32.3%±2Lowest IL: 6.3% 33%±2.1Highest IL: 6.3%
Normal Township and Normal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $64,785±$8kHighest 22% below IL $63,708±$7kLowest 24% below IL
Normal and Normal Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $213,600±$7kHighest 19% below IL $210,800±$7kLowest 20% below IL
Normal and Normal Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $965±$45Lowest 24% below IL $969±$49Highest 24% below IL
Normal Township and Normal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,749Highest 10% below IL $4,686Lowest 12% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 58.5%±6.2 IL: 47.9% 58.5%±6.3 IL: 47.9%
Below poverty line 21.4%Lowest IL: 11.8% 21.9%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 54.8%Highest IL: 67.1% 54.6%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1989Highest 18 yrs newer than IL 1988Lowest 17 yrs newer than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 17 minHighest 41% below IL 16 minLowest 41% below IL
Work from home 13.4%±1.5Highest IL: 15.9% 13.1%±1.6Lowest IL: 15.9%
Normal and Normal Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 25.5%Highest 20.4%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 4.3 mi 4.3 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.32Highest 0.99Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Bloomington (35%)Bloomington (35%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Normal Township26% work in Normal
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 5%Highest 2.9%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 9.7 miLowest 10.7 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 miHighest 0.3 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 23Highest 22Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 69.1Highest 40.0Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#104 of 384 in IL
School district —ISU Laboratory Schools · DeWitt/Livingstn/Logan/McLean ROE
High school in town —Normal Community West High School
Students per teacherat that high school — 15.1
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.

Normal neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Enjoying the Local Weather

1 neighbor in Normal can answer.

Normal Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Normal Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Normal and Normal Township

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

Bordering Normal

Towns like Normal

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 Normal

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