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Compare towns

Vermilion vs Lerna

39 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (5.1× in Lerna).

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Vermilion, ILA small town of 219Illinois · 219 people
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Lerna, ILHomes around $198KIllinois · 226 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.

VermilionA small town of 219
Quiet strengthsVermilion doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Vermilion →
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.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $770 more a month in Lerna

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.

Vermilion$510/mo
Typical home $76K (Census) · tax rate 1.76% · or rent about $1,050/mo · Housing →
Lerna$1,270/mo
Typical home $198K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.42% · or rent about $850/mo · Housing →

The difference: $770 a month, about $9,200 a year, between Lerna and Vermilion.

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
VermilionLerna
Snow a year15″15″
January low—20°F
July high—86°F
Growing season (days)—199d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)28th74th
Outdoors & history
VermilionLerna
Archive photos—1
Famous people born here—1
Community
VermilionLerna
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

39 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Vermilion ↔ Lerna39 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.

VermilionLerna
People
Population 219Lowest 226Highest
Median age 32.4±25.5Highest 17% below IL 31.4±17Lowest 19% below IL
Vermilion and Lerna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 34.2%±13.8Highest IL: 21.8% 22.1%±6.2Lowest IL: 21.8%
Vermilion and Lerna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 17.8%±8.5Lowest IL: 17% 24.8%±8.6Highest IL: 17%
Lerna and Vermilion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 8.6%Lowest IL: 37.8% 11.3%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.3%±3.3Lowest IL: 6.3% 4.4%±6.5Highest IL: 6.3%
Lerna and Vermilion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $47,917±$21kLowest 43% below IL $67,679±$29kHighest 19% below IL
Lerna and Vermilion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $75,700±$11kLowest 71% below IL $94,400±$29kHighest 64% below IL
Lerna and Vermilion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,050±$695Highest 18% below IL $850±$248Lowest 33% below IL
Vermilion and Lerna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,333Lowest 75% below IL $1,339Highest 75% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 56.3%±100Highest IL: 47.9% 15%±96.2Lowest IL: 47.9%
Vermilion and Lerna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 12.3%Lowest IL: 11.8% 14.6%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 80.2%Highest IL: 67.1% 77%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1954Lowest 17 yrs older than IL 1957Highest 14 yrs older than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 24 minHighest 12% below IL 21 minLowest 23% below IL
Work from home 6%±11.5Lowest IL: 15.9% 6.5%±5.3Highest IL: 15.9%
Lerna and Vermilion 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 13.8 miLowest 18.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.00Lowest 0.04Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Paris (28%)Mattoon (30%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in LernaFew work in Vermilion
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 42.4Lowest 215Highest
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.

Vermilion neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Vermilion’s Town Square.

Lerna neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lerna’s Town Square.

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Towns like Vermilion

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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