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Compare towns

Bloomington vs Duluth

146 miles apart. The biggest differences: work in town (+43.7 pts in Duluth) and trails (3.7× in Duluth).

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Bloomington, MNA college townMinnesota · 88,665 people
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Duluth, MNA colonial town, settled 1679Minnesota · 87,093 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 $370 more a month in Bloomington

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.

Bloomington$2,220/mo
Typical home $362K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.07% · or rent about $1,561/mo · Housing →
Duluth$1,860/mo
Typical home $298K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.19% · or rent about $1,087/mo · Housing →

The difference: $370 a month, about $4,400 a year, between Bloomington and Duluth.

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

Bloomington places higher on 13 of 23 MN lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Minnesota 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
BloomingtonDuluth
Snow a year51″56″
January low9°F6°F
July high83°F76°F
Growing season (days)176d154d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)27th28th
Outdoors & history
BloomingtonDuluth
Conserved land20.9%8.6%
Settled18431679
National Register places344
Archive photos1217
Famous people born here3759
Community
BloomingtonDuluth
Library hours a week52 hrs44 hrs
Colleges in town43
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

146 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Bloomington ↔ Duluth146 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.

BloomingtonDuluth
People
Population 88,665Highest 87,093Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +8.6%Highest MN: +7.6% +0.5%Lowest MN: +7.6%
Median age 41.1±0.9Highest 6% above MN 35.2±0.7Lowest 9% below MN
Kids under 18 20%±1.3Highest MN: 22.9% 17.6%±0.8Lowest MN: 22.9%
Age 65+ 20.6%±1Highest MN: 17.3% 17.3%±0.7Lowest MN: 17.3%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 46.2%Highest MN: 39.4% 44%Lowest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.4%±0.7Lowest MN: 5.8% 14.6%±0.9Highest MN: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $93,211±$3kHighest 5% above MN $68,807±$2kLowest 23% below MN
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $361,700±$5kHighest 10% above MN $242,700±$5kLowest 26% below MN
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,561±$36Highest 22% above MN $1,087±$45Lowest 15% below MN
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,881Highest 16% above MN $2,885Lowest 14% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 46.3%±4Lowest MN: 48.1% 54%±3.2Highest MN: 48.1%
Below poverty line 9.2%Lowest MN: 9.3% 16.8%Highest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 65.7%Highest MN: 72.2% 59.4%Lowest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1972Highest 7 yrs older than MN 1951Lowest 28 yrs older than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 21 minHighest 7% below MN 17 minLowest 24% below MN
Work from home 22.3%±1.8Highest MN: 17.6% 13.2%±1.3Lowest MN: 17.6%
Work in townworking residents 19.5%Lowest 63.2%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.3 miHighest 4.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.97Highest 1.65Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Minneapolis (17%)Superior (5%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in DuluthFew work in Bloomington
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 20.9%Highest 8.6%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 46.3 miLowest 172.4 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.2 miLowest 2.2 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 73Highest 70Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 75.4Highest 36.3Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #163 of 230 in MN#136 of 230 in MN
School district Success Academy · New Century SchoolDULUTH PUBLIC SCHOOLS ACADEMY · DULUTH PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town Jefferson High SchoolEast High School
Students per teacherat that high school 22.8Highest 20.3Lowest
Minnesota 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.

Bloomington neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bloomington’s Town Square.

Duluth neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Duluth’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Bloomington

Towns like Bloomington

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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