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.

Down paymentRate%

Waterloo$2,200/mo

Typical home $331K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.68% · or rent about $886/mo · Housing →

Highland$1,890/mo

Typical home $276K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.93% · or rent about $855/mo · Housing →

The difference: $310 a month, about $3,700 a year, between Waterloo and Highland.

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

Waterloo places higher on 14 of 22 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.

Safety

–WaterlooNot graded A−HighlandSafer than 77% of U.S. towns

Schools

A−WaterlooBetter than 81% of districts in the state –HighlandNot graded

Health

A−WaterlooHealthier than 82% of U.S. towns A−HighlandHealthier than 75% of U.S. towns

14Waterloo

6Highland

Lists won, of 22 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most trailsOutdoors · 665 towns #484#180 Fastest growingGrowth · 859 towns #50#338 Lowest depressionHealth · 861 towns #388#565 Most remote workersWork · 849 towns #300#454 Most library borrowingLibraries · 262 towns #64#107 Highest incomeIncome · 862 towns #281#416 Most affordableCost of living · 861 towns #534#410 Most new homesHousing · 431 towns #52#110

Left end = #1 in Illinois. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Waterloo’s rankings →

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

WaterlooHighland

Snow a year9″10″

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)60th 75th

Outdoors & history

WaterlooHighland

Trails2 mi 6 mi

Conserved land4.4%5.3%

Settled1818 1837

National Register places3 —

Archive photos10 6

Famous people born here—14

Community

WaterlooHighland

Library hours a week61 hrs 54 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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.

WaterlooIL HighlandIL

Waterloo ↔ Highland39 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.

Only big differences vs Illinois average

WaterlooHighland

People

Population 11,129Highest 10,262Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +12.3%Highest +0.7%Lowest

Median age 41.5±2.6Lowest 6% above IL 41.8±3.1Highest 7% above IL

Highland and Waterloo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 21.9%±2.8Highest IL: 21.8% 19.2%±3.4Lowest IL: 21.8%

Waterloo and Highland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 20.6%±3.2Highest IL: 17% 19.8%±2.7Lowest IL: 17%

Waterloo and Highland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 37.3%Highest IL: 37.8% 35.8%Lowest IL: 37.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.2%±1.5Lowest IL: 6.3% 5.5%±2.1Highest IL: 6.3%

Highland and Waterloo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $98,711±$13kHighest 18% above IL $82,551±$13kLowest about the IL average

Waterloo and Highland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $249,500±$18kHighest 5% below IL $202,900±$14kLowest 23% below IL

Rentmedian gross, monthly $886±$118Highest 30% below IL $855±$110Lowest 33% below IL

Waterloo and Highland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $4,198Highest 21% below IL $3,908Lowest 26% below IL

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 48%±15.5Highest IL: 47.9% 43.7%±8Lowest IL: 47.9%

Waterloo and Highland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 5.9%Lowest IL: 11.8% 6%Highest IL: 11.8%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 78.2%Highest IL: 67.1% 72.7%Lowest IL: 67.1%

Typical home builtmedian year 1991Highest 20 yrs newer than IL 1979Lowest 8 yrs newer than IL

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 27 minLowest 4% below IL 27 minHighest about the IL average

Work from home 12.9%±4.3Highest IL: 15.9% 10.2%±3.9Lowest IL: 15.9%

Waterloo and Highland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 15.9%Lowest 23.4%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 20.8 miHighest 19.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.63Lowest 1.22Highest

Top workplaceoutside town St. Louis (11%)St. Louis (7%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in HighlandFew work in Waterloo

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 4.4%Lowest 5.3%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 1.6 miLowest 6.1 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miLowest 0.8 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 7Lowest 9Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 53.0Lowest 57.9Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #56 of 384 in IL—

School district Waterloo CUSD 5—

High school in town Waterloo High School—

Students per teacherat that high school 17.1 —

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.

Waterloo neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Waterloo’s Town Square.

Highland neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Highland’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Waterloo and Highland

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

Towns like Waterloo

+ Compare

Fort Russell Township9,167 people · $252K homes

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Rockton7,974 people · $235K homes

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Glenwood8,603 people · $198K homes

+ Compare

Helvetia Township8,328 people · $213K homes

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.

Waterloo vs Highland

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $310 more a month in Waterloo

Waterloo places higher on 14 of 22 IL lists

What daily life feels like in each

39 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Waterloo and Highland

Towns like Waterloo

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