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Compare towns

Buchanan vs Plain Township

164 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (311× in Buchanan) and typical home built (59 yrs in Buchanan).

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Buchanan, NDKnown for its schoolsNorth Dakota · 130 people
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Plain Township, NDAn outdoors townRenville County · 104 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 $370 more a month in Plain 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.

Buchanan$1,330/mo
Typical home $228K (Census) · tax rate 0.72% · Housing →
Plain Township$1,700/mo
Typical home $309K (Census) · tax rate 0.32% · Housing →

The difference: $370 a month, about $4,500 a year, between Plain Township and Buchanan.

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

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every North Dakota 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
BuchananPlain Township
Snow a year46″45″
January low0°F4°F
July high82°F84°F
Growing season (days)143d144d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)32nd6th
Outdoors & history
BuchananPlain Township
Trails—45 mi
Conserved land—14.9%
Settled1887—
Community
BuchananPlain 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.

Where they are

164 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Buchanan ↔ Plain Township164 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.

BuchananPlain Township
People
Population 130Highest 104Lowest
Median age 32.5±12Highest 9% below ND 31.2±22.9Lowest 13% below ND
Buchanan and Plain Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 32.3%±18.1Lowest ND: 23.5% 46.2%±21.6Highest ND: 23.5%
Plain Township and Buchanan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 6.2%±23.5Lowest ND: 16.5% 9.6%±31.4Highest ND: 16.5%
Plain Township and Buchanan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 31.4%Lowest ND: 32.7% 32.1%Highest ND: 32.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.5%±8.3Highest ND: 7.6% 0%±13.6Lowest ND: 7.6%
Buchanan and Plain Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $110,469±$49kHighest 44% above ND $74,167±$5kLowest 3% below ND
Buchanan and Plain Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $227,500±$71kLowest 9% below ND $308,700±$43kHighest 24% above ND
Plain Township and Buchanan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,646Highest 33% below ND $989Lowest 60% below ND
Below poverty line 0% ND: 10.8% 0% ND: 10.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 100% ND: 62.9% 100% ND: 62.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1955Lowest 27 yrs older than ND 2014Highest 32 yrs newer than ND
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 17 min 6% below ND —
Work from home 3.6%±5.7Highest ND: 8.1% 0%±17.9Lowest ND: 8.1%
Buchanan and Plain Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0% 0%
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 17.3 miLowest 34.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.24Highest 0.00Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Jamestown (29%)Minot (36%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Plain TownshipFew work in Buchanan
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 14.9%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 45.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 1.3 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 1Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 93.3Highest 0.3Lowest
Schools
School district PINGREE-BUCHANAN 10—
High school in town None in town—
North Dakota 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.

Buchanan neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Buchanan’s Town Square.

Plain Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Plain Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Buchanan

Towns like Buchanan

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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