Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Wheaton vs Glen Ellyn

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: rent (+26% in Wheaton) and work from home (+7.1 pts in Glen Ellyn).

×
Wheaton, ILAn outdoors townIllinois · 53,557 people
×
Glen Ellyn, ILHomes around $579KIllinois · 28,390 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 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 $330 more a month in Glen Ellyn

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.

Wheaton$3,590/mo
Typical home $515K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.07% · or rent about $1,799/mo · Housing →
Glen Ellyn$3,920/mo
Typical home $579K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.84%+ · or rent about $1,433/mo · Housing →

The difference: $330 a month, about $4,000 a year, between Glen Ellyn and Wheaton.

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

Wheaton and Glen Ellyn share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

WheatonGlen EllynWheatonGlen Ellyn
Wheaton ↔ Glen Ellyn2.4 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
948 Wheaton residents work in Glen Ellyn (3.8% of its workers)
486 Glen Ellyn residents work in Wheaton (3.9% of its workers)
Work & commute in Wheaton →
Report cards

Wheaton places higher on 12 of 23 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
WheatonGlen Ellyn
Snow a year42″42″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)43rd35th
Outdoors & history
WheatonGlen Ellyn
Trails8 mi11 mi
Conserved land7.4%8.4%
Settled18311834
National Register places67
Community
WheatonGlen Ellyn
Library hours a week68 hrs69 hrs
Colleges in town11
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.

WheatonGlen Ellyn
People
Population 53,557Highest 28,390Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2%Lowest +5.1%Highest
Median age 36.8±0.8Lowest 6% below IL 39.8±1.6Highest about the IL average
Kids under 18 22%±1.4Lowest IL: 21.8% 26.2%±2.4Highest IL: 21.8%
Age 65+ 17.5%±1.1Lowest IL: 17% 18.8%±2Highest IL: 17%
Glen Ellyn and Wheaton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 64.5%Lowest IL: 37.8% 68.2%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 10.7%±0.9Highest IL: 6.3% 5%±1Lowest IL: 6.3%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $120,008±$4kLowest 44% above IL $140,938±$12kHighest 69% above IL
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $455,700±$10kLowest 73% above IL $544,000±$22kHighest 107% above IL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,799±$83Highest 41% above IL $1,433±$87Lowest 12% above IL
Property taxmedian, yearly $9,443Lowest 78% above IL $10,000+Highest at least 89% above IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 44%±5.3Lowest IL: 47.9% 51.8%±7.3Highest IL: 47.9%
Glen Ellyn and Wheaton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 5.6%Lowest IL: 11.8% 6.3%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 71.7%Lowest IL: 67.1% 78.3%Highest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1976Highest 5 yrs newer than IL 1971Lowest same as IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 26 minLowest 8% below IL 29 minHighest 5% above IL
Work from home 25.7%±1.8Lowest IL: 15.9% 32.8%±3.7Highest IL: 15.9%
Work in townworking residents 11%Highest 8.1%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.8 miLowest 11.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.83Lowest 0.94Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Chicago (18%)Chicago (20%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 4% work in Glen Ellyn4% work in Wheaton
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 7.4%Lowest 8.4%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 8.1 miLowest 10.7 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miLowest 1.5 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 46Highest 29Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 105Highest 96.2Lowest
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.

Wheaton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Wheaton’s Town Square.

Glen Ellyn neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Glen Ellyn’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Wheaton and Glen Ellyn

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

Bordering Wheaton

Towns like Wheaton

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.

Post to Wheaton

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in