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Otego Township vs Sefton Township

Next-door neighbors in Fayette County. The biggest differences: trails (11.4× in Sefton Township) and jobs per worker (10.3× in Otego Township).

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Otego Township, ILOne of the healthiest townsFayette County · 1,306 people
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Sefton Township, ILA small town of 420Fayette County · 420 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.

Otego TownshipOne of the healthiest towns
Health74% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Otego Township →
Sefton TownshipA small town of 420
Quiet strengthsSefton Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Sefton 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.

Trails11.4×
Sefton Township has more miles of trail
Sefton Township 5.7 miOtego Township 0.5 mi
Jobs per worker10.3×
Otego Township is more of a job hub
Otego Township 0.41Sefton Township 0.04
Homeowners+30.9 pts renters
Otego Township has more renters
Sefton Township 98.9%Otego Township 68%
Street grid2×
Otego Township has the more walkable street grid
Otego Township 4.8Sefton Township 2.4
Size3.1×
Otego Township is the bigger place
Otego Township 1,306Sefton Township 420
Property tax bill+31%
Tax bills are bigger in Sefton Township
Sefton Township $1,567Otego Township $1,193
★ What stands out · Where they are

Otego Township and Sefton Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Otego TownshipSefton TownshipOtego TownshipSefton Township
Otego Township ↔ Sefton Township7.9 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

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.

Otego Township$790/mo
Typical home $131K (Census) · tax rate 0.91% · or rent about $958/mo · Housing →
Sefton Township$840/mo
Typical home $135K (Census) · tax rate 1.16% · Housing →

The difference: $50 a month, about $600 a year, between Sefton Township and Otego 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
C+Otego TownshipBetter than 42% of districts in the state –Sefton TownshipNot graded
Health
COtego TownshipHealthier than 26% of U.S. towns –Sefton TownshipNot graded
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
Otego TownshipSefton Township
Snow a year10″13″
January low21°F19°F
July high88°F85°F
Growing season (days)197d185d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)77th64th
Outdoors & history
Otego TownshipSefton Township
Trails—6 mi
Conserved land—0.1%
Community
Otego TownshipSefton Township
Library hours a week26 hrs—
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.

Otego TownshipSefton Township
People
Population 1,306Highest 420Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -4.4%Highest -6.7%Lowest
Median age 38.7±4.2Lowest about the IL average 49.7±17.6Highest 27% above IL
Sefton Township and Otego Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 21.4%±3.9Highest IL: 21.8% 13.1%±9Lowest IL: 21.8%
Otego Township and Sefton Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 23.5%±6Lowest IL: 17% 24.5%±8.6Highest IL: 17%
Sefton Township and Otego Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 8.3%Highest IL: 37.8% 5.9%Lowest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.2%±3.9Highest IL: 6.3% 0%±4.4Lowest IL: 6.3%
Otego Township and Sefton Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $54,286±$12kLowest 35% below IL $62,500±$34kHighest 25% below IL
Sefton Township and Otego Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $130,900±$23kLowest 50% below IL $135,200±$27kHighest 49% below IL
Sefton Township and Otego Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $958±$120 25% below IL —
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,193Lowest 77% below IL $1,567Highest 70% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 66.9%±22Highest IL: 47.9% 0%±100Lowest IL: 47.9%
Otego Township and Sefton Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 18.2%Highest IL: 11.8% 1.2%Lowest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 68%Lowest IL: 67.1% 98.9%Highest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1964Lowest 7 yrs older than IL 1985Highest 14 yrs newer than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 24 minLowest 13% below IL 30 minHighest 7% above IL
Work from home 5.3%±3.4Highest IL: 15.9% 0%±5.2Lowest IL: 15.9%
Otego Township and Sefton Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 5.7%Highest 0.5%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 25.3 mi 25.3 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.41Highest 0.04Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Vandalia (11%)Effingham (13%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Sefton TownshipFew work in Otego Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.4%Highest 0.1%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.5 miLowest 5.7 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.1 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 4.8Highest 2.4Lowest
Schools
School district Brownstown CUSD 201—
High school in town Brownstown High School—
Students per teacherat that high school 11.9 —
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.

Otego Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Otego Township’s Town Square.

Sefton Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sefton Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Otego Township and Sefton Township

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Bordering Otego Township

W
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Wilberton Township457 people · $166K homes
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Vandalia Township6,275 people · $109K homes
W
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Wheatland Township405 people · $275K homes

Towns like Otego Township

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Lovington Township1,545 people · $97K homes
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Lacon1,916 people · $122K homes
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Thomson1,757 people · $117K homes
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Ina1,560 people · $104K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Illinois towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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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