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Chester Township vs Equality Township

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: average commute (34 min in Chester Township) and home values (+49% in Equality Township).

C ×
Chester Township, MNA small town of 107Polk County · 107 people
E ×
Equality Township, MNA small town of 126Red Lake County · 126 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.

Chester TownshipA small town of 107
Quiet strengthsChester Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Chester Township →
Equality TownshipA small town of 126
Quiet strengthsEquality Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Equality 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.

Average commute34 min
Chester Township has the shorter commute
Equality Township 52 minChester Township 18 min
Home values+49%
Homes cost more in Equality Township
Equality Township $265,000Chester Township $178,100
Trails2.2×
Equality Township has more miles of trail
Equality Township 10.2 miChester Township 4.7 mi
Property tax bill+33%
Tax bills are bigger in Equality Township
Equality Township $1,583Chester Township $1,188
Jobs per worker2.1×
Chester Township is more of a job hub
Chester Township 0.31Equality Township 0.15
Street grid+80%
Equality Township has the more walkable street grid
Equality Township 0.9Chester Township 0.5
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $490 more a month in Equality 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.

Chester Township$1,030/mo
Typical home $178K (Census) · tax rate 0.67% · Housing →
Equality Township$1,520/mo
Typical home $265K (Census) · tax rate 0.60% · Housing →

The difference: $490 a month, about $5,900 a year, between Equality Township and Chester 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

Chester Township and Equality Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Chester TownshipEquality TownshipChester TownshipEquality Township
Chester Township ↔ Equality Township7.1 miles apart · They share a border
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
Chester TownshipEquality Township
Snow a year50″50″
January low-3°F-3°F
July high79°F79°F
Growing season (days)142d142d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)32nd80th
Outdoors & history
Chester TownshipEquality Township
Trails5 mi10 mi
Conserved land0.1%2.8%
National Register places—1
Community
Chester TownshipEquality 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.

Chester TownshipEquality Township
People
Population 107Lowest 126Highest
Median age 38.2±16.1Lowest about the MN average 51.2±7.8Highest 32% above MN
Equality Township and Chester Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 21.5%±15.1Highest MN: 22.9% 18.3%±14Lowest MN: 22.9%
Chester Township and Equality Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 21.5%±26.9Highest MN: 17.3% 19%±22.7Lowest MN: 17.3%
Chester Township and Equality Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 12%Lowest MN: 39.4% 22.7%Highest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±13.2 MN: 5.8% 0%±11.2 MN: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $131,250±$85kLowest 47% above MN $150,417±$48kHighest 69% above MN
Equality Township and Chester Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $178,100±$54kLowest 46% below MN $265,000±$18kHighest 20% below MN
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,188Lowest 65% below MN $1,583Highest 53% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent — 62.5%±100 MN: 48.1%
Below poverty line 2.8%Highest MN: 9.3% 1.6%Lowest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 100%Highest MN: 72.2% 85.2%Lowest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1983Lowest 4 yrs newer than MN 1997Highest 18 yrs newer than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 18 minLowest 19% below MN 52 minHighest 129% above MN
Work from home 6.9%±8Highest MN: 17.6% 1.3%±2.6Lowest MN: 17.6%
Chester Township and Equality Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 2.6%Highest 1.3%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 27.8 miHighest 25.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.31Highest 0.15Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Fosston (23%)Thief River Falls (28%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Equality TownshipFew work in Chester Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.1%Lowest 2.8%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 4.7 miLowest 10.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.2 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 1Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 0.5Lowest 0.9Highest
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.

Chester Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Chester Township’s Town Square.

Equality Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Equality Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Chester Township and Equality Township

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Bordering Chester Township

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+ Compare
Hill River Township140 people · $196K homes
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Lambert Township94 people · $197K homes
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Gully Township66 people · $308K homes
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+ Compare
Trail16 people · $33K homes

Towns like Chester Township

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Lien Township85 people · $208K homes
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Grasston112 people · $163K homes
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Lake Ida Township133 people · $191K homes
+ Compare
Clontarf Township158 people · $213K 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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