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Ora Township vs Ava

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (26.9× in Ava) and home values (3.8× in Ora Township).

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Ora Township, ILA regional job hubJackson County · 387 people
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Ava, ILHomes around $184KIllinois · 561 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.

Ora TownshipA regional job hub
Work398 jobsbased in Ora Township, a regional job hub All about Ora Township →
AvaHomes around $184K
Housing$184K typical home38% below the IL typical home All about Ava →
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 grid26.9×
Ava has the more walkable street grid
Ava 78.0Ora Township 2.9
Home values3.8×
Homes cost more in Ora Township
Ora Township $342,600Ava $90,500
Property tax bill2.1×
Tax bills are bigger in Ora Township
Ora Township $2,592Ava $1,227
Jobs per worker4.4×
Ora Township is more of a job hub
Ora Township 1.79Ava 0.41
Growth since 2010+11.1 pts
Ora Township has grown faster since 2010
Ora Township -4.3%Ava -15.4%
Bachelor’s degree++18.9 pts
More adults in Ora Township have a degree
Ora Township 24%Ava 5.1%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $840 more a month in Ora 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.

Ora Township$2,010/mo
Typical home $343K (Census) · tax rate 0.76% · Housing →
Ava$1,170/mo
Typical home $184K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.36% · or rent about $492/mo · Housing →

The difference: $840 a month, about $10,100 a year, between Ora Township and Ava.

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

Ora Township and Ava share a border

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

Ora TownshipAvaOra TownshipAva
Ora Township ↔ Ava4.2 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
9 Ava residents work in Ora Township (4.5% of its workers)
Work & commute in Ava →
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
Ora TownshipAva
Snow a year10″10″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)78th78th
Outdoors & history
Ora TownshipAva
Trails—0 mi
Conserved land—0%
Famous people born here—1
Community
Ora TownshipAva
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.

Ora TownshipAva
People
Population 387Lowest 561Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -4.3%Highest -15.4%Lowest
Median age 50.1±11.7Highest 28% above IL 35.7±9.6Lowest 8% below IL
Ora Township and Ava are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 19.1%±15.4Lowest IL: 21.8% 28.5%±7.6Highest IL: 21.8%
Ava and Ora Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 26.1%±7.5Highest IL: 17% 22.5%±9.5Lowest IL: 17%
Ora Township and Ava are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 24%Highest IL: 37.8% 5.1%Lowest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0.5%±3.5Lowest IL: 6.3% 3.9%±2.7Highest IL: 6.3%
Ava and Ora Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $95,375±$34kHighest 14% above IL $55,368±$8kLowest 34% below IL
Ora Township and Ava are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $342,600±$111kHighest 30% above IL $90,500±$9kLowest 66% below IL
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $492±$358 61% below IL
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,592Highest 51% below IL $1,227Lowest 77% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100Lowest IL: 47.9% 17.9%±18.5Highest IL: 47.9%
Ava and Ora Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 2.3%Lowest IL: 11.8% 7.5%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 95.1%Highest IL: 67.1% 82.2%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1993Highest 22 yrs newer than IL 1974Lowest 3 yrs newer than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 33 minHighest 17% above IL 27 minLowest about the IL average
Work from home 7.3%±8.9Highest IL: 15.9% 0.9%±1.3Lowest IL: 15.9%
Ora Township and Ava are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 5%Highest 2%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.3 miLowest 17.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.79Highest 0.41Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Carbondale (10%)Carbondale (12%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Ava5% work in Ora Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.3 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 1Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 2.9Lowest 78.0Highest
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.

Ora Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ora Township’s Town Square.

Ava neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ava’s Town Square.

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Bordering Ora Township

V
+ Compare
Vergennes Township770 people · $113K homes
L
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Levan Township553 people · $248K homes
B
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Bradley Township1,941 people · $103K homes

Towns like Ora Township

D
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Deer Park Township438 people · $252K homes
+ Compare
Mosquito Township266 people · $251K homes
L
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LeRoy Township390 people · $461K homes
P
+ Compare
Pierce Township554 people · $378K 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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