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Summit Township vs Jackson Township

Next-door neighbors in Effingham County. The biggest differences: trails (6.3× in Summit Township) and home values (+92% in Summit Township).

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Summit Township, ILOne of the healthiest townsEffingham County · 3,743 people
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Jackson Township, ILOne of the healthiest townsEffingham County · 1,168 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 $970 more a month in Summit Township

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.

Summit Township$1,990/mo
Typical home $313K (Census) · tax rate 1.33% · or rent about $849/mo · Housing →
Jackson Township$1,020/mo
Typical home $163K (Census) · tax rate 1.23% · Housing →

The difference: $970 a month, about $11,600 a year, between Summit Township and Jackson 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.

Where they are

Summit Township and Jackson Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Summit TownshipJackson TownshipSummit TownshipJackson Township
Summit Township ↔ Jackson Township6.9 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
Report cards

Summit Township places higher on 11 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
Summit TownshipJackson Township
Snow a year15″15″
January low20°F20°F
July high89°F89°F
Growing season (days)191d191d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)30th52nd
Outdoors & history
Summit TownshipJackson Township
Trails2 mi—
Conserved land0.2%—
Settled1860—
Archive photos3—
Community
Summit TownshipJackson Township
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.

Summit TownshipJackson Township
People
Population 3,743Highest 1,168Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +4.9%Highest +1%Lowest
Median age 46.3±9.9Highest 19% above IL 45.2±15.4Lowest 16% above IL
Summit Township and Jackson Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 24.4%±6.4Highest IL: 21.8% 23.5%±6Lowest IL: 21.8%
Summit Township and Jackson Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 23.2%±4.3Highest IL: 17% 17.4%±3.5Lowest IL: 17%
Summit Township and Jackson Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 35.5%Highest IL: 37.8% 23.3%Lowest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.9%±1.8Highest IL: 6.3% 1.1%±1.7Lowest IL: 6.3%
Summit Township and Jackson Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $111,488±$17kHighest 34% above IL $72,560±$29kLowest 13% below IL
Summit Township and Jackson Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $313,400±$33kHighest 19% above IL $163,100±$25kLowest 38% below IL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $849±$135 33% below IL —
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,178Highest 21% below IL $2,000Lowest 62% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±41.3 IL: 47.9% —
Below poverty line 2.7%Lowest IL: 11.8% 27.9%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 93%Lowest IL: 67.1% 96.9%Highest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1990Highest 19 yrs newer than IL 1986Lowest 15 yrs newer than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 22 minHighest 21% below IL 21 minLowest 26% below IL
Work from home 6.1%±3.7Highest IL: 15.9% 4.8%±4Lowest IL: 15.9%
Summit Township and Jackson Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 3%Highest 0.2%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 6.8 miLowest 9.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.27Highest 0.06Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Effingham (43%)Effingham (42%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Jackson TownshipFew work in Summit Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.2%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 1.9 miHighest 0.3 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 7.6Highest 2.7Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#33 of 384 in IL
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.

Summit Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Summit Township’s Town Square.

Jackson Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Jackson Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Summit Township and Jackson Township

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

Bordering Summit Township

Towns like Summit 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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