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Buse Township vs Dane Prairie Township

Next-door neighbors in Otter Tail County. The biggest differences: trails (3.3× in Buse Township) and median age (17.7 yrs in Dane Prairie Township).

B ×
Buse Township, MNAn outdoors townOtter Tail County · 612 people
D ×
Dane Prairie Township, MNAn outdoors townOtter Tail County · 912 people
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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.

Buse TownshipAn outdoors town
Outdoors24.5% conserved land5.3 miles of trails across 9 parks and preserves All about Buse Township →
Dane Prairie TownshipAn outdoors town
Outdoors29.1% conserved land1.6 miles of trails across 4 parks and preserves All about Dane Prairie Township →
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.

Trails3.3×
Buse Township has more miles of trail
Buse Township 5.3 miDane Prairie Township 1.6 mi
Median age17.7 yrs
Dane Prairie Township skews older
Dane Prairie Township 50.4Buse Township 32.7
Kids under 18+14.3 pts
Buse Township has more kids
Buse Township 36.4%Dane Prairie Township 22.1%
Home values+26%
Homes cost more in Dane Prairie Township
Dane Prairie Township $375,200Buse Township $298,500
Seasonal homes+16.8 pts
Dane Prairie Township has more second homes
Dane Prairie Township 27.9%Buse Township 11.1%
Bachelor’s degree++15.5 pts
More adults in Dane Prairie Township have a degree
Dane Prairie Township 40.8%Buse Township 25.3%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $420 more a month in Dane Prairie 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.

Buse Township$1,720/mo
Typical home $299K (Census) · tax rate 0.64% · or rent about $725/mo · Housing →
Dane Prairie Township$2,140/mo
Typical home $375K (Census) · tax rate 0.56% · Housing →

The difference: $420 a month, about $5,000 a year, between Dane Prairie Township and Buse 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

Buse Township and Dane Prairie Township share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

Buse TownshipDane Prairie TownshipBuse TownshipDane Prairie Township
Buse Township ↔ Dane Prairie Township7.6 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
Who commutes between them
4 Buse Township residents work in Dane Prairie Township (2.1% of its workers)
Work & commute in Buse Township →
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
Buse TownshipDane Prairie Township
Snow a year50″50″
January low-1°F-1°F
July high80°F80°F
Growing season (days)149d149d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)17th24th
Outdoors & history
Buse TownshipDane Prairie Township
Trails5 mi2 mi
Conserved land24.5%29.1%
Settled18701870
Community
Buse TownshipDane Prairie 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.

Buse TownshipDane Prairie Township
People
Population 612Lowest 912Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — -0.5% MN: +7.6%
Median age 32.7±7Lowest 16% below MN 50.4±3.9Highest 30% above MN
Kids under 18 36.4%±6.4Highest MN: 22.9% 22.1%±4.8Lowest MN: 22.9%
Age 65+ 16%±0.7Lowest MN: 17.3% 23.7%±7Highest MN: 17.3%
Dane Prairie Township and Buse Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 25.3%Lowest MN: 39.4% 40.8%Highest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.8%±2.1Lowest MN: 5.8% 2%±1.5Highest MN: 5.8%
Dane Prairie Township and Buse Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $92,500±$10kLowest 4% above MN $117,708±$17kHighest 32% above MN
Dane Prairie Township and Buse Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $298,500±$40kLowest 9% below MN $375,200±$23kHighest 14% above MN
Rentmedian gross, monthly $725±$238 43% below MN —
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,896Lowest 44% below MN $2,102Highest 37% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 50%±100 MN: 48.1% 50%±100 MN: 48.1%
Below poverty line 4.8%Highest MN: 9.3% 2.5%Lowest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 86.7%Lowest MN: 72.2% 98.7%Highest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1978Highest 1 yr older than MN 1974Lowest 5 yrs older than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 18 minLowest 22% below MN 18 minHighest 20% below MN
Work from home 8.3%±7.5Lowest MN: 17.6% 15.9%±14.2Highest MN: 17.6%
Dane Prairie Township and Buse Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1%Highest 0.9%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 4.3 miLowest 8.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.45Highest 0.25Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Fergus Falls (64%)Fergus Falls (53%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 2% work in Dane Prairie TownshipFew work in Buse Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 24.5%Lowest 29.1%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 5.3 miHighest 1.6 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 9Highest 4Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.3Lowest 1.9Highest
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.

Buse Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Buse Township’s Town Square.

Dane Prairie Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Dane Prairie Township’s Town Square.

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Bordering Buse Township

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Fergus Falls14,181 people · $194K homes
O
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Orwell Township199 people · $303K homes
A
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Aastad Township230 people · $272K homes

Towns like Buse Township

F
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Foreston757 people · $254K homes
G
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Goodhue Township527 people · $384K homes
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Stockton811 people · $258K homes
C
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Clear Lake579 people · $281K homes

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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