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Perry vs Gays

122 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (+73% in Perry).

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Perry, ILA small town of 206Illinois · 206 people

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Gays, ILHomes around $194KIllinois · 165 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.

PerryA small town of 206

Quiet strengthsPerry doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.

All about Perry →

GaysHomes around $194K

Housing$194K typical home35% below the IL typical home All about Gays →

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.

Street grid+73%

Perry has the more walkable street grid

Perry 108Gays 62.1

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $660 more a month in Gays

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.

Down paymentRate%

Perry$570/mo

Typical home $87K (Census) · tax rate 1.53% · or rent about $396/mo · Housing →

Gays$1,220/mo

Typical home $194K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.26% · or rent about $875/mo · Housing →

The difference: $660 a month, about $7,900 a year, between Gays and Perry.

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.

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

PerryGays

Snow a year21″14″

January low18°F 19°F

July high87°F 85°F

Growing season (days)179d 187d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)55th 76th

Outdoors & history

PerryGays

National Register places1 —

Archive photos—2

Community

PerryGays

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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

122 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

PerryIL GaysIL

Perry ↔ Gays122 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.

Only big differences vs Illinois average

PerryGays

People

Population 206Highest 165Lowest

Median age 56.6±4.2Highest 45% above IL 54.9±8Lowest 41% above IL

Perry and Gays are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 8.7%±7.5Lowest IL: 21.8% 12.7%±10.7Highest IL: 21.8%

Gays and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 36.4%±5.1Highest IL: 17% 30.9%±5.3Lowest IL: 17%

Perry and Gays are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 11.4%Lowest IL: 37.8% 14.6%Highest IL: 37.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.4%±7.1Lowest IL: 6.3% 4.8%±10.2Highest IL: 6.3%

Gays and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $44,792±$35kLowest 46% below IL $52,188±$20kHighest 37% below IL

Gays and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $86,900±$12kLowest 67% below IL $93,000±$23kHighest 65% below IL

Gays and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $396±$394Lowest 69% below IL $875±$96Highest 31% below IL

Gays and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,333Highest 75% below IL $1,172Lowest 78% below IL

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 26.7%±89Highest IL: 47.9% 23.5%±100Lowest IL: 47.9%

Perry and Gays are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 18.9%Highest IL: 11.8% 10.4%Lowest IL: 11.8%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 81.9%Highest IL: 67.1% 78.3%Lowest IL: 67.1%

Typical home builtmedian year 1961Highest 10 yrs older than IL 1953Lowest 18 yrs older than IL

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 31 minLowest 12% above IL 33 minHighest 18% above IL

Work from home 5.7%±6.2Highest IL: 15.9% 3%±4.3Lowest IL: 15.9%

Perry and Gays are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 0% 0%

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 27.8 miHighest 20.8 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.23Highest 0.00Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Springfield (12%)Arthur (16%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in GaysFew work in Perry

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%

Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 108Highest 62.1Lowest

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.

Perry neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Perry’s Town Square.

Gays neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Gays’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Perry and Gays

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Towns like Perry

Fillmore241 people · $66K homes

Beaverville289 people · $96K homes

Raleigh235 people · $80K homes

Bath224 people · $63K 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.