Population
Thornton
1,876
Spencer
3,305
Median Income
Thornton
$61,111
Spencer
$64,031
Home Value
Thornton
$146,600
Spencer
$149,800
Rent
Thornton
$1,099
Spencer
$1,042
Crime Rate
Thornton
1.79
Spencer
3.01
Cost of Living
Thornton
102.5
Spencer
98.7
Avg Temp
Thornton
N/A
Spencer
N/A
Unemployment
Thornton
7.3%
Spencer
4.9%
How Similar Are Thornton & Spencer?
Spencer is Thornton's #18 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Thornton
1,876
Spencer
3,305
Spencer has a 43% larger population than Thornton.
Violent Crime
Thornton
1.79
Spencer
3.01
Spencer has a 41% higher violent crime than Thornton.
Property Crime
Thornton
18.76
Spencer
20.14
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 7% difference.
Political Leaning
Thornton
28.4%
Spencer
67.5%
Thornton leans Democratic while Spencer leans Republican.
Unemployment
Thornton
7.3%
Spencer
4.9%
Thornton has a 34% higher unemployment than Spencer.
Median Income
Thornton
$61,111
Spencer
$64,031
Both cities have similar median income — just a 5% difference.
Home Values
Thornton
$146,600
Spencer
$149,800
Both cities have similar home values — just a 2% difference.
Education
Thornton
18.3%
Spencer
16.5%
Both cities have similar education — just a 10% difference.
Demographics
Thornton
45.3%
Spencer
61.2%
Spencer has a 26% higher demographics than Thornton.
Cost of Living
Thornton
102.5
Spencer
98.7
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Thornton and Spencer share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Thornton
0
Spencer
Spencer leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Spencer leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDSpencer has a fair market rent (1br) of $958 vs $1,581 in Thornton (65% lower). Spencer has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,196 vs $1,781 in Thornton (49% lower). Spencer scores 99.0 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 114.7 in Thornton.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Spencer leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSpencer has a median property tax of $1,642 vs $3,976 in Thornton (142% lower). Thornton has a vacancy rate of 7.0% compared to 12.3% in Spencer. Thornton has a owner-occupied of 81.3% compared to 64.3% in Spencer.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Spencer leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSpencer has a work from home of 17.1% compared to 5.2% in Thornton. Spencer has a unemployment rate of 4.9% compared to 7.3% in Thornton. Spencer: 1,601 vs Thornton: 1,010 for labor force.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Thornton leads
Source: FBI UCRSpencer has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.30 compared to 1.34 in Thornton. Thornton has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.30 in Spencer. Spencer has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 4.21 compared to 7.59 in Thornton.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Thornton leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauThornton has a high school diploma or higher of 45.7% compared to 41.1% in Spencer. Thornton has a bachelor's degree or higher of 18.3% compared to 16.5% in Spencer.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSpencer has a population of 3,305, about 1.8x the size of Thornton (1,876). Thornton skews younger with a median age of 44.0 vs 45.7.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Thornton
Spencer
Healthcare — Spencer leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSpencer: 3.2 vs Thornton: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Thornton leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSpencer has a work from home of 17.1% compared to 5.2% in Thornton. Thornton has a drive alone of 76.4% compared to 75.2% in Spencer.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Thornton, IL
Compare Thornton against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.