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Compton Township vs Wadena

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (32.8× in Wadena) and jobs per worker (4.3× in Wadena).

C ×
Compton Township, MNA small town of 804Otter Tail County · 804 people
×
Wadena, MNHomes around $213KMinnesota · 4,419 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.

Compton TownshipA small town of 804
Quiet strengthsCompton Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Compton Township →
WadenaHomes around $213K
Housing$213K typical home39% below the MN typical home Work2,959 jobsbased in Wadena, a regional job hub Outdoors#66 most trails in MN4.7 miles of trails across 5 parks and preserves All about Wadena →
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.

Street grid32.8×
Wadena has the more walkable street grid
Wadena 52.4Compton Township 1.6
Jobs per worker4.3×
Wadena is more of a job hub
Wadena 1.72Compton Township 0.40
Work in town+37.5 pts
More of Wadena’s workers stay in town
Wadena 37.8%Compton Township 0.3%
Size5.5×
Wadena is the bigger place
Wadena 4,419Compton Township 804
Average commute15 min
Wadena has the shorter commute
Compton Township 30 minWadena 15 min
Home values+33%
Homes cost more in Compton Township
Compton Township $214,500Wadena $160,800
★ What stands out · Where they are

Compton Township and Wadena share a border

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

Compton TownshipWadenaCompton TownshipWadena
Compton Township ↔ Wadena5.2 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
44 Compton Township residents work in Wadena (13.6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Compton Township →
Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

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.

Compton Township$1,280/mo
Typical home $215K (Census) · tax rate 0.87% · or rent about $665/mo · Housing →
Wadena$1,280/mo
Typical home $213K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.93% · or rent about $684/mo · Housing →

Within $50 a month of each other.

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 Minnesota ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
–Compton TownshipNot graded C+WadenaSafer than 39% of U.S. towns
Schools
C+Compton TownshipBetter than 42% of districts in the state C+WadenaBetter than 42% of districts in the state
Health
–Compton TownshipNot graded CWadenaHealthier than 25% of U.S. towns
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
Compton TownshipWadena
Snow a year51″51″
January low-2°F-2°F
July high78°F78°F
Growing season (days)141d141d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)24th12th
Outdoors & history
Compton TownshipWadena
Trails3 mi5 mi
Conserved land0.1%2.8%
Settled18751881
National Register places—3
Archive photos—12
Famous people born here—8
Community
Compton TownshipWadena
Library hours a week—38 hrs
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.

Compton TownshipWadena
People
Population 804Lowest 4,419Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -0.4%Lowest MN: +7.6% +5.8%Highest MN: +7.6%
Median age 39.8±4.8Highest about the MN average 39.2±2.3Lowest about the MN average
Compton Township and Wadena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 29.2%±3.5Highest MN: 22.9% 27%±5.4Lowest MN: 22.9%
Compton Township and Wadena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 20.6%±3.1Highest MN: 17.3% 18.2%±4Lowest MN: 17.3%
Compton Township and Wadena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 18%Highest MN: 39.4% 17.6%Lowest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.9%±1.4Lowest MN: 5.8% 4.1%±2.4Highest MN: 5.8%
Wadena and Compton Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $74,196±$6kHighest 17% below MN $56,080±$9kLowest 37% below MN
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $214,500±$26kHighest 35% below MN $160,800±$7kLowest 51% below MN
Rentmedian gross, monthly $665±$292Lowest 48% below MN $684±$105Highest 47% below MN
Wadena and Compton Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,875Highest 44% below MN $1,493Lowest 56% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 17%±32.4Lowest MN: 48.1% 41.6%±13.6Highest MN: 48.1%
Wadena and Compton Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 3.6%Lowest MN: 9.3% 17.7%Highest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 79.8%Highest MN: 72.2% 58.1%Lowest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1980Highest 1 yr newer than MN 1964Lowest 15 yrs older than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 30 minHighest 32% above MN 15 minLowest 33% below MN
Work from home 14.5%±7.5Highest MN: 17.6% 5%±4.7Lowest MN: 17.6%
Compton Township and Wadena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0.3%Lowest 37.8%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 22.8 miHighest 15.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.40Lowest 1.72Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Perham (15%)Perham (7%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 14% work in WadenaFew work in Compton Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.1%Lowest 2.8%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 3.3 miLowest 4.7 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.9 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 5Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.6Lowest 52.4Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#205 of 230 in MN
School district —Freshwater Education District · WADENA-DEER CREEK SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town —Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school — 19.7
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.

Compton Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Compton Township’s Town Square.

Wadena neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Wadena’s Town Square.

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Bordering Compton Township

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Deer Creek Township487 people · $287K homes
O
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Oak Valley Township323 people · $204K homes
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Wadena Township1,023 people · $180K homes
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Bluffton Township677 people · $217K homes

Towns like Compton Township

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Leaf River Township804 people · $221K homes
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Mazeppa1,004 people · $243K homes
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Minnesota Lake687 people · $158K homes
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Henderson875 people · $224K 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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