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Willowbrook vs Makanda Township

293 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (25.3× in Makanda Township) and jobs per worker (11.6× in Willowbrook).

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Willowbrook, ILAn outdoors townIllinois · 9,131 people
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Makanda Township, ILAn outdoors townJackson County · 4,031 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 $690 more a month in Willowbrook

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.

Willowbrook$2,090/mo
Typical home $325K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.42% · or rent about $1,747/mo · Housing →
Makanda Township$1,400/mo
Typical home $198K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.18% · or rent about $925/mo · Housing →

The difference: $690 a month, about $8,300 a year, between Willowbrook and Makanda 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.

Life in each

Willowbrook gets 31 more inches of snow a year

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
WillowbrookMakanda Township
Snow a year42″11″
January low—23°F
July high—88°F
Growing season (days)—195d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)38th74th
Outdoors & history
WillowbrookMakanda Township
Trails2 mi38 mi
Conserved land2.8%14.3%
Settled1960—
National Register places12
Archive photos124
Community
WillowbrookMakanda 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.

Report cards

Willowbrook places higher on 11 of 19 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.

Where they are

293 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Willowbrook ↔ Makanda Township293 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.

WillowbrookMakanda Township
People
Population 9,131Highest 4,031Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +8.1%Highest -7.3%Lowest
Median age 45±5.2Highest 15% above IL 42.1±3.2Lowest 8% above IL
Willowbrook and Makanda Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 15%±2.5Lowest IL: 21.8% 24.3%±4.6Highest IL: 21.8%
Age 65+ 26.6%±3.5Highest IL: 17% 19.5%±3Lowest IL: 17%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 53.1%Lowest IL: 37.8% 59.9%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 10.4%±2.6Highest IL: 6.3% 6.5%±2.3Lowest IL: 6.3%
Willowbrook and Makanda Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $99,239±$4kHighest 19% above IL $84,688±$14kLowest about the IL average
Willowbrook and Makanda Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $358,600±$30kHighest 36% above IL $215,900±$36kLowest 18% below IL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,747±$103Highest 37% above IL $925±$56Lowest 27% below IL
Property taxmedian, yearly $5,075Highest 4% below IL $4,714Lowest 11% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 41.8%±14.2Highest IL: 47.9% 35%±12.9Lowest IL: 47.9%
Willowbrook and Makanda Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 6.6%Lowest IL: 11.8% 8.5%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 72.6%Highest IL: 67.1% 69.1%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1980Lowest 9 yrs newer than IL 1981Highest 10 yrs newer than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 27 minHighest 4% below IL 21 minLowest 25% below IL
Work from home 11.7%±3.6Lowest IL: 15.9% 14%±4.3Highest IL: 15.9%
Makanda Township and Willowbrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 2.5%Lowest 3.1%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 13.3 miHighest 9.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.62Highest 0.14Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Chicago (26%)Carbondale (39%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Makanda TownshipFew work in Willowbrook
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.8%Lowest 14.3%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 1.5 miLowest 37.9 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.6 miLowest 1.0 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 6Highest 3Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 113Highest 14.4Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#113 of 384 in IL
School district —Tri-County Sp Ed Jnt Agreement · Giant City CCSD 130
High school in town —None in town
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.

Willowbrook neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Willowbrook’s Town Square.

Makanda Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Makanda Township’s Town Square.

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Bordering Willowbrook

Towns like Willowbrook

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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