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Carpenter Township vs Melrose Township

Next-door neighbors in Steele County. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (5.5× in Carpenter Township) and homeowners (+28.3 pts renters in Carpenter Township).

C ×
Carpenter Township, NDA small town of 53Steele County · 53 people
M ×
Melrose Township, NDA small town of 31Steele County · 31 people
Swap order
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.

Carpenter TownshipA small town of 53
Quiet strengthsCarpenter Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Carpenter Township →
Melrose TownshipA small town of 31
Quiet strengthsMelrose Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Melrose Township →
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.

Jobs per worker5.5×
Carpenter Township is more of a job hub
Carpenter Township 0.93Melrose Township 0.17
Homeowners+28.3 pts renters
Carpenter Township has more renters
Melrose Township 73.3%Carpenter Township 45%
Bachelor’s degree++12.9 pts
More adults in Melrose Township have a degree
Melrose Township 12.9%Carpenter Township 0%
Trails+69%
Melrose Township has more miles of trail
Melrose Township 21.8 miCarpenter Township 12.9 mi
★ What stands out · Where they are

Carpenter Township and Melrose Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Carpenter TownshipMelrose TownshipCarpenter TownshipMelrose Township
Carpenter Township ↔ Melrose Township5.5 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
Carpenter TownshipMelrose Township
Snow a year35″42″
January low-6°F-3°F
July high81°F79°F
Growing season (days)136d128d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)48th48th
Outdoors & history
Carpenter TownshipMelrose Township
Trails13 mi22 mi
Conserved land11.3%7%
Settled1903—
Community
Carpenter TownshipMelrose 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.

Carpenter TownshipMelrose Township
People
Population 53Highest 31Lowest
Median age 38.5±8.4Lowest 7% above ND 63.4±18.9Highest 77% above ND
Melrose Township and Carpenter Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 41.5%±32.5Highest ND: 23.5% 0%±91.2Lowest ND: 23.5%
Carpenter Township and Melrose Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 7.5%±63.2Lowest ND: 16.5% 41.9%±92.7Highest ND: 16.5%
Melrose Township and Carpenter Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 0%Lowest ND: 32.7% 12.9%Highest ND: 32.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±26.7 ND: 7.6% 0%±45.6 ND: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $52,143±$49kLowest 32% below ND $94,063±$32kHighest 23% above ND
Melrose Township and Carpenter Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied — $187,500±$33k 25% below ND
Property taxmedian, yearly — $683 72% below ND
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 100%±100Highest ND: 38.9% 0%±100Lowest ND: 38.9%
Carpenter Township and Melrose Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 0% ND: 10.8% 0% ND: 10.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 45%Lowest ND: 62.9% 73.3%Highest ND: 62.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1970Highest 12 yrs older than ND 1963Lowest 19 yrs older than ND
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 11 min 38% below ND —
Work from home 0%±32.3 ND: 8.1% 0%±50 ND: 8.1%
Work in townworking residents 0% 0%
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 19.8 miLowest 21.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.93Highest 0.17Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Finley (27%)Sherbrooke Township (25%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Melrose TownshipFew work in Carpenter Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 11.3%Highest 7%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 12.9 miLowest 21.8 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miLowest 0.6 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 0.8 0.8
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.

Carpenter Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Carpenter Township’s Town Square.

Melrose Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Melrose Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Carpenter Township

C
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Colgate Township20 people · $184K homes
+ Compare
Hope339 people · $98K homes
W
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Willow Lake Township52 people
E
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Ellsbury Township144 people · $288K homes

Towns like Carpenter Township

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Greenfield Township80 people
E
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Elverum Township38 people
N
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Newbury Township50 people
E
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Elora Township37 people

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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