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Reading Township vs Palestine

157 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (29.1× in Palestine) and jobs per worker (4.2× in Reading Township).

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Reading Township, ILA regional job hubLivingston County · 1,722 people
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Palestine, ILHomes around $93KIllinois · 1,430 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 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.

Reading Township$560/mo
Typical home $87K (Census) · tax rate 1.38% · or rent about $1,156/mo · Housing →
Palestine$630/mo
Typical home $93K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.91% · or rent about $719/mo · Housing →

The difference: $80 a month, about $900 a year, between Palestine and Reading 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.

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
Reading TownshipPalestine
Snow a year26″12″
January low16°F23°F
July high88°F87°F
Growing season (days)199d193d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)71st56th
Outdoors & history
Reading TownshipPalestine
Trails2 mi—
Conserved land0.1%—
Settled—1811
National Register places—3
Archive photos16
Famous people born here—1
Community
Reading TownshipPalestine
Library hours a week—34 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.

Where they are

157 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Reading Township ↔ Palestine157 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.

Reading TownshipPalestine
People
Population 1,722Highest 1,430Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -1.1%Highest -9.9%Lowest
Median age 45±10.4Lowest 15% above IL 45.6±5.4Highest 17% above IL
Palestine and Reading Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 17.7%±6.2Lowest IL: 21.8% 22.2%±4.4Highest IL: 21.8%
Palestine and Reading Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 32.1%±6.3Highest IL: 17% 19.1%±3.4Lowest IL: 17%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 11.7%Lowest IL: 37.8% 12%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.8%±1.8 IL: 6.3% 1.8%±1.1 IL: 6.3%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $54,259±$14kLowest 35% below IL $62,850±$12kHighest 25% below IL
Palestine and Reading Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $87,100±$27kHighest 67% below IL $81,300±$14kLowest 69% below IL
Reading Township and Palestine are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,156±$85Highest 9% below IL $719±$274Lowest 44% below IL
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,202Lowest 77% below IL $1,556Highest 71% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 49.4%±34.6Highest IL: 47.9% 32.2%±25.6Lowest IL: 47.9%
Reading Township and Palestine are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 16.6%Highest IL: 11.8% 15%Lowest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 79.6%Lowest IL: 67.1% 83.2%Highest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1958Highest 13 yrs older than IL 1955Lowest 16 yrs older than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 27 minHighest about the IL average 25 minLowest 11% below IL
Work from home 5.6%±3.2Highest IL: 15.9% 2.9%±2.4Lowest IL: 15.9%
Reading Township and Palestine are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 13%Highest 3.6%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 18.3 miHighest 15.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.52Highest 0.36Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Streator (24%)Robinson (32%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in PalestineFew work in Reading Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.1%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 2.3 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 3.8Lowest 111Highest
Schools
School district Woodland CUSD 5—
High school in town Woodland High School—
Students per teacherat that high school 11.0 —
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.

Reading Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Reading Township’s Town Square.

Palestine neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Palestine’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Reading Township and Palestine

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

Bordering Reading Township

Towns like Reading Township

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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