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Tompkins Township vs Forrest

121 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (38.3× in Forrest) and jobs per worker (11× in Forrest).

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Tompkins Township, ILA small town of 1,056Warren County · 1,056 people
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Forrest, ILHomes around $180KIllinois · 994 people
Swap order
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.

Tompkins TownshipA small town of 1,056
Quiet strengthsTompkins Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Tompkins Township →
ForrestHomes around $180K
Housing$180K typical home40% below the IL typical home All about Forrest →
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.

Street grid38.3×
Forrest has the more walkable street grid
Forrest 130Tompkins Township 3.4
Jobs per worker11×
Forrest is more of a job hub
Forrest 1.10Tompkins Township 0.10
Property tax bill+73%
Tax bills are bigger in Forrest
Forrest $2,910Tompkins Township $1,679
Growth since 2010+12.7 pts
Tompkins Township has grown faster since 2010
Tompkins Township -2%Forrest -14.7%
Rent+28%
Rent runs higher in Tompkins Township
Tompkins Township $938Forrest $730
Average commute4 min
Tompkins Township has the shorter commute
Forrest 26 minTompkins Township 22 min
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $660 more a month in Forrest

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.

Tompkins Township$670/mo
Typical home $101K (Census) · tax rate 1.66% · or rent about $938/mo · Housing →
Forrest$1,330/mo
Typical home $180K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.58% · or rent about $730/mo · Housing →

The difference: $660 a month, about $7,900 a year, between Forrest and Tompkins 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.

Health
BTompkins TownshipHealthier than 58% of U.S. towns –ForrestNot 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
Tompkins TownshipForrest
Snow a year26″14″
January low15°F—
July high84°F—
Growing season (days)174d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)66th68th
Outdoors & history
Tompkins TownshipForrest
Trails1 mi—
Conserved land0%—
Settled18531866
Archive photos—5
Famous people born here—4
Community
Tompkins TownshipForrest
Library hours a week15 hrs36 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

121 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Tompkins TownshipWarren CountyForrestIL
Tompkins Township ↔ Forrest121 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.

Tompkins TownshipForrest
People
Population 1,056Highest 994Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -2%Highest -14.7%Lowest
Median age 33.7±8.3Lowest 14% below IL 34.1±6.8Highest 13% below IL
Forrest and Tompkins Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 29.8%±6.6Highest IL: 21.8% 23.2%±5.2Lowest IL: 21.8%
Tompkins Township and Forrest are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 16.2%±2.6Lowest IL: 17% 16.5%±2.9Highest IL: 17%
Forrest and Tompkins Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 22.8%Highest IL: 37.8% 18.9%Lowest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.6%±2Highest IL: 6.3% 2.8%±1.4Lowest IL: 6.3%
Tompkins Township and Forrest are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $82,083±$16kHighest about the IL average $73,426±$7kLowest 12% below IL
Tompkins Township and Forrest are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $101,300±$12kLowest 62% below IL $113,000±$14kHighest 57% below IL
Forrest and Tompkins Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $938±$68Highest 26% below IL $730±$50Lowest 43% below IL
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,679Lowest 68% below IL $2,910Highest 45% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 36.5%±16.2Highest IL: 47.9% 11.8%±22.9Lowest IL: 47.9%
Tompkins Township and Forrest are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 8.5%Lowest IL: 11.8% 10%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 80.6%Highest IL: 67.1% 79%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1949Lowest 22 yrs older than IL 1955Highest 16 yrs older than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 22 minLowest 22% below IL 26 minHighest 6% below IL
Work from home 5.1%±5.2Lowest IL: 15.9% 5.7%±4.1Highest IL: 15.9%
Forrest and Tompkins Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.5%Lowest 9.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 21.3 mi 21.3 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.10Lowest 1.10Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Monmouth (23%)Fairbury (10%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in ForrestFew work in Tompkins Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 1.4 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
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 3.4Lowest 130Highest
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.

Tompkins Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Tompkins Township’s Town Square.

Forrest neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Forrest’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Tompkins Township

L
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Lenox Township88 people · $89K homes
E
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Ellison Township427 people
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Biggsville Township494 people · $97K homes
H
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Hale Township249 people

Towns like Tompkins Township

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Hutsonville Township1,171 people · $93K homes
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Raymond1,030 people · $108K homes
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Ontario Township1,037 people · $113K homes
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Unity Township1,468 people · $120K 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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