Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Bowstring Township vs Marcell Township

Next-door neighbors in Itasca County. The biggest differences: property tax bill (+81% in Marcell Township) and jobs per worker (3.2× in Marcell Township).

B ×
Bowstring Township, MNAn outdoors townItasca County · 177 people
×
Marcell Township, MNAn outdoors townItasca County · 383 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 $180 more a month in Marcell Township

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.

Bowstring Township$1,400/mo
Typical home $246K (Census) · tax rate 0.55% · Housing →
Marcell Township$1,580/mo
Typical home $272K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.70% · Housing →

The difference: $180 a month, about $2,100 a year, between Marcell Township and Bowstring 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.

Where they are

Bowstring Township and Marcell Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Bowstring TownshipMarcell TownshipBowstring TownshipMarcell Township
Bowstring Township ↔ Marcell Township9.6 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
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
Bowstring TownshipMarcell Township
Snow a year64″64″
January low-5°F-5°F
July high77°F77°F
Growing season (days)140d140d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)74th56th
Outdoors & history
Bowstring TownshipMarcell Township
Trails16 mi8 mi
Conserved land45.1%54.8%
National Register places—1
Community
Bowstring TownshipMarcell 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.

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.

Bowstring TownshipMarcell Township
People
Population 177Lowest 383Highest
Median age 61.9±5.4Highest 60% above MN 61.7±8.1Lowest 59% above MN
Bowstring Township and Marcell Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 12.4%±8.2Lowest MN: 22.9% 18%±8.5Highest MN: 22.9%
Marcell Township and Bowstring Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 35.6%±2.5Lowest MN: 17.3% 42.3%±7.6Highest MN: 17.3%
Marcell Township and Bowstring Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 16.6%Lowest MN: 39.4% 38.6%Highest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.8%±2.4Lowest MN: 5.8% 2.9%±2.5Highest MN: 5.8%
Marcell Township and Bowstring Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $72,083±$15kHighest 19% below MN $65,500±$15kLowest 26% below MN
Bowstring Township and Marcell Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $246,200±$34kLowest 25% below MN $348,600±$53kHighest 6% above MN
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,344Lowest 60% below MN $2,429Highest 28% below MN
Below poverty line 6.8%Lowest MN: 9.3% 19.3%Highest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 97.8%Lowest MN: 72.2% 100%Highest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1984Lowest 5 yrs newer than MN 1987Highest 8 yrs newer than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 36 minHighest 57% above MN 27 minLowest 19% above MN
Work from home 2.8%±4.1Lowest MN: 17.6% 24.5%±24.6Highest MN: 17.6%
Marcell Township and Bowstring Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 2.4%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 37.8 miLowest 44.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.15Lowest 0.48Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Grand Rapids (11%)Grand Rapids (13%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Marcell TownshipFew work in Bowstring Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 45.1%Lowest 54.8%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 16.0 miHighest 7.5 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Lowest 3Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 0.9Lowest 1.3Highest
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.

Bowstring Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bowstring Township’s Town Square.

Marcell Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Marcell Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Bowstring Township and Marcell Township

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

Bordering Bowstring Township

Towns like Bowstring Township

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 Bowstring Township

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