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Oswego vs Aurora

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (4.1× in Aurora) and growth since 2010 (+22.7 pts in Oswego).

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Oswego, ILHomes around $423KIllinois · 36,375 people
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Aurora, ILA history townIllinois · 179,898 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 $750 more a month in Oswego

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.

Oswego$3,070/mo
Typical home $423K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.42% · or rent about $1,860/mo · Housing →
Aurora$2,320/mo
Typical home $324K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.28% · or rent about $1,596/mo · Housing →

The difference: $750 a month, about $9,000 a year, between Oswego and Aurora.

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.

Where they are

Oswego and Aurora share a border

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

OswegoAuroraOswegoAurora
Oswego ↔ Aurora6.1 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
1,821 Oswego residents work in Aurora (9% of its workers)
Work & commute in Oswego →
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
OswegoAurora
Snow a year28″28″
January low16°F16°F
July high84°F84°F
Growing season (days)185d185d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)38th35th
Outdoors & history
OswegoAurora
Trails9 mi36 mi
Conserved land7.8%10.2%
Settled18331835
National Register places129
Archive photos18—
Famous people born here7—
Community
OswegoAurora
Library hours a week67 hrs66 hrs
Colleges in town—1
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.

OswegoAurora
People
Population 36,375Lowest 179,898Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +13.9%Highest -8.8%Lowest
Median age 38.7±1.3Highest about the IL average 35.2±0.7Lowest 10% below IL
Kids under 18 26.3%±2.5Highest IL: 21.8% 25.2%±0.9Lowest IL: 21.8%
Oswego and Aurora are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 11%±1.3Lowest IL: 17% 11.1%±0.6Highest IL: 17%
Aurora and Oswego are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 44.3%Highest IL: 37.8% 38.5%Lowest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.4%±1.1Lowest IL: 6.3% 7%±0.5Highest IL: 6.3%
Aurora and Oswego are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $123,792±$6kHighest 48% above IL $93,633±$4kLowest 12% above IL
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $344,500±$8kHighest 31% above IL $274,800±$5kLowest 4% above IL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,860±$184Highest 46% above IL $1,596±$55Lowest 25% above IL
Property taxmedian, yearly $8,330Highest 57% above IL $6,263Lowest 18% above IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 71.8%±14Highest IL: 47.9% 45.7%±3.7Lowest IL: 47.9%
Below poverty line 2.6%Lowest IL: 11.8% 9.5%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 87.9%Highest IL: 67.1% 66.4%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 2002Highest 31 yrs newer than IL 1987Lowest 16 yrs newer than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 32 minHighest 13% above IL 27 minLowest about the IL average
Work from home 17.5%±2.9Highest IL: 15.9% 16.1%±0.8Lowest IL: 15.9%
Oswego and Aurora are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 7.8%Lowest 16.4%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 18.8 miHighest 13.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.55Lowest 0.75Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Chicago (15%)Chicago (13%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 9% work in AuroraFew work in Oswego
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 7.8%Lowest 10.2%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 8.6 miLowest 35.5 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 miLowest 0.8 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 40Lowest 119Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 72.8Lowest 93.7Highest
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.

Oswego neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Oswego’s Town Square.

Aurora neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Aurora’s Town Square.

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Bordering Oswego

Towns like Oswego

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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