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Compare towns

Cook vs Hendricks

291 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (3.8× in Hendricks) and trails (3.2× in Cook).

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Cook, MNA regional job hubMinnesota · 423 people
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Hendricks, MNKnown for its schoolsMinnesota · 517 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.

CookA regional job hub
Work645 jobsbased in Cook, a regional job hub Housing$258K typical home26% below the MN typical home Outdoors15.3% conserved land4.1 miles of trails across 5 parks and preserves All about Cook →
HendricksKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 92%of MN districts Housing$235K typical home33% below the MN typical home All about Hendricks →
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 grid3.8×
Hendricks has the more walkable street grid
Hendricks 72.7Cook 19.0
Trails3.2×
Cook has more miles of trail
Cook 4.1 miHendricks 1.3 mi
Property tax bill+58%
Tax bills are bigger in Hendricks
Hendricks $1,570Cook $993
Jobs per worker2.3×
Cook is more of a job hub
Cook 3.24Hendricks 1.41
Growth since 2010+6.6 pts
Cook has grown faster since 2010
Cook -7%Hendricks -13.6%
Homeowners+9.6 pts renters
Cook has more renters
Hendricks 76.9%Cook 67.3%
★ What stands out · 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.

Cook$1,560/mo
Typical home $258K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.95% · or rent about $535/mo · Housing →
Hendricks$1,500/mo
Typical home $235K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.36% · or rent about $775/mo · Housing →

The difference: $60 a month, about $700 a year, between Cook and Hendricks.

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.

Schools
–CookNot graded AHendricksBetter than 92% of districts in the state
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
CookHendricks
Snow a year61″48″
January low-5°F5°F
July high77°F83°F
Growing season (days)138d156d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)36th62nd
Outdoors & history
CookHendricks
Trails4 mi1 mi
Conserved land15.3%11.4%
Settled1903—
Community
CookHendricks
Library hours a week23 hrs29 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.

Where they are

291 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

CookMNHendricksMN
Cook ↔ Hendricks291 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.

CookHendricks
People
Population 423Lowest 517Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -7%Highest MN: +7.6% -13.6%Lowest MN: +7.6%
Median age 58.1±11.6Lowest 50% above MN 61.1±3.3Highest 57% above MN
Hendricks and Cook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 12.3%±4.5Highest MN: 22.9% 8.5%±2.4Lowest MN: 22.9%
Cook and Hendricks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 38.1%±12.4Lowest MN: 17.3% 40.6%±8.6Highest MN: 17.3%
Hendricks and Cook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 24.1%Lowest MN: 39.4% 33.1%Highest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.1%±2Lowest MN: 5.8% 4.3%±3.4Highest MN: 5.8%
Hendricks and Cook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $42,250±$14kLowest 53% below MN $51,250±$9kHighest 42% below MN
Hendricks and Cook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $104,900±$30kLowest 68% below MN $115,500±$22kHighest 65% below MN
Hendricks and Cook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $535±$35Lowest 58% below MN $775±$239Highest 39% below MN
Hendricks and Cook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $993Lowest 70% below MN $1,570Highest 53% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 51.5%±16.2Highest MN: 48.1% 38.6%±33.1Lowest MN: 48.1%
Cook and Hendricks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 11.6%Highest MN: 9.3% 9.6%Lowest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 67.3%Lowest MN: 72.2% 76.9%Highest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1971Highest 8 yrs older than MN 1958Lowest 21 yrs older than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 17 minHighest 27% below MN 14 minLowest 37% below MN
Work from home 6.4%±6.7Lowest MN: 17.6% 7.2%±3.6Highest MN: 17.6%
Hendricks and Cook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 15.1%Lowest 20.2%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 23.8 miHighest 22.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 3.24Highest 1.41Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Virginia (24%)Marshall (19%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in HendricksFew work in Cook
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 15.3%Highest 11.4%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 4.1 miHighest 1.3 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.6 miHighest 1.3 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 5Highest 3Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 19.0Lowest 72.7Highest
Schools
School district —Region 6 and 8-SW/WC Service Coop · HENDRICKS PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town —Mnvss
Students per teacherat that high school — 5.8
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.

Cook neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Cook’s Town Square.

Hendricks neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Hendricks’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Cook and Hendricks

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Cook

F
+ Compare
Field Township285 people · $172K homes
O
+ Compare
Owens Township378 people · $162K homes

Towns like Cook

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Littlefork636 people · $151K homes
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Ulen413 people · $174K homes
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Barrett349 people · $132K homes
H
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Hill City503 people · $162K 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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