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Compare towns

Riverside vs Lyons Township

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (22.8× in Lyons Township) and size (12.5× in Lyons Township).

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Riverside, ILHomes around $566KIllinois · 9,039 people
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Lyons Township, ILOne of the healthiest townsCook County · 112,613 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 $1,970 more a month in Riverside

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.

Riverside$3,920/mo
Typical home $566K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.04%+ · or rent about $1,484/mo · Housing →
Lyons Township$1,960/mo
Typical home $281K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.07% · or rent about $1,282/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,970 a month, about $23,600 a year, between Riverside and Lyons 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; “+” means the Census top-codes that town’s bill at $10,000, so its real rate is higher.

Where they are

Riverside and Lyons Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

RiversideLyons TownshipRiversideLyons Township
Riverside ↔ Lyons Township4.5 miles apart · They share a border
Report cards

Riverside places higher on 12 of 18 IL lists

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
RiversideLyons Township
Snow a year42″42″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)72nd63rd
Outdoors & history
RiversideLyons Township
Trails1 mi27 mi
Conserved land5.3%2.9%
Settled1875—
National Register places6—
Archive photos275
Famous people born here152
Community
RiversideLyons Township
Library hours a week65 hrs67 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

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.

RiversideLyons Township
People
Population 9,039Lowest 112,613Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +4.8%Highest +3.1%Lowest
Median age 42±4.9Highest 8% above IL 41.4±0.8Lowest 6% above IL
Riverside and Lyons Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 26.1%±5.1Highest IL: 21.8% 24.1%±1.1Lowest IL: 21.8%
Riverside and Lyons Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 19.7%±4.3Highest IL: 17% 18.2%±1Lowest IL: 17%
Riverside and Lyons Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 72.5%Highest IL: 37.8% 40%Lowest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.6%±1Lowest IL: 6.3% 4.7%±0.5Highest IL: 6.3%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $153,686±$19kHighest 84% above IL $92,619±$4kLowest 11% above IL
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $491,400±$32kHighest 87% above IL $363,900±$11kLowest 38% above IL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,484±$214Highest 16% above IL $1,282±$50Lowest about the IL average
Riverside and Lyons Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $10,000+Highest at least 89% above IL $7,541Lowest 42% above IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 16.5%±15.2Lowest IL: 47.9% 48.9%±5.1Highest IL: 47.9%
Below poverty line 3.3%Lowest IL: 11.8% 9.4%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 84.8%Highest IL: 67.1% 74.3%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1938Lowest 33 yrs older than IL 1968Highest 3 yrs older than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 33 minHighest 17% above IL 30 minLowest 6% above IL
Work from home 28.3%±6.6Highest IL: 15.9% 18%±1.4Lowest IL: 15.9%
Work in townworking residents 3.9%Lowest 12.4%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.8 miLowest 11.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.32Lowest 1.15Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Chicago (39%)Chicago (32%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Lyons TownshipFew work in Riverside
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 5.3%Highest 2.9%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 1.2 miLowest 27.4 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.6 miLowest 0.7 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 7Lowest 81Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 115Highest 74.1Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#141 of 384 in IL
School district —Argo CHSD 217 · Summit SD 104
High school in town —Lyons Twp High Sch
Students per teacherat that high school — 13.9
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.

Riverside neighborsTown Square →

1 neighbor in Riverside can answer.

Lyons Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lyons Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Riverside

Towns like Riverside

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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