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Cook vs Owens Township

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (21.1× in Cook) and jobs per worker (15.4× in Cook).

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Cook, MNA regional job hubMinnesota · 423 people
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Owens Township, MNA small town of 378St. Louis County · 378 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 →
Owens TownshipA small town of 378
Quiet strengthsOwens Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Owens 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.

Street grid21.1×
Cook has the more walkable street grid
Cook 19.0Owens Township 0.9
Jobs per worker15.4×
Cook is more of a job hub
Cook 3.24Owens Township 0.21
Trails3.1×
Owens Township has more miles of trail
Owens Township 12.9 miCook 4.1 mi
Homeowners+30.1 pts renters
Cook has more renters
Owens Township 97.4%Cook 67.3%
Property tax bill+44%
Tax bills are bigger in Owens Township
Owens Township $1,432Cook $993
Work in town+15.1 pts
More of Cook’s workers stay in town
Cook 15.1%Owens Township 0%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $590 more a month in Cook

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 →
Owens Township$970/mo
Typical home $162K (Census) · tax rate 0.89% · Housing →

The difference: $590 a month, about $7,100 a year, between Cook and Owens 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

Cook and Owens Township share a border

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

CookOwens TownshipCookOwens Township
Cook ↔ Owens Township2.8 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
10 Owens Township residents work in Cook (9.6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Owens 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
CookOwens Township
Snow a year61″61″
January low-5°F-5°F
July high77°F77°F
Growing season (days)138d138d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)36th36th
Outdoors & history
CookOwens Township
Trails4 mi13 mi
Conserved land15.3%3.9%
Settled1903—
Community
CookOwens Township
Library hours a week23 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.

CookOwens Township
People
Population 423Highest 378Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -7% MN: +7.6% —
Median age 58.1±11.6Highest 50% above MN 30.6±19.6Lowest 21% below MN
Cook and Owens Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 12.3%±4.5Lowest MN: 22.9% 41.5%±41Highest MN: 22.9%
Owens Township and Cook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 38.1%±12.4Highest MN: 17.3% 20.6%±16Lowest MN: 17.3%
Cook and Owens Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 24.1%Highest MN: 39.4% 16.3%Lowest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.1%±2Highest MN: 5.8% 0.3%±2.8Lowest MN: 5.8%
Cook and Owens Township 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 $61,250±$30kHighest 31% below MN
Owens Township 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 $161,600±$61kHighest 51% below MN
Owens Township and Cook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $535±$35 58% below MN —
Property taxmedian, yearly $993Lowest 70% below MN $1,432Highest 57% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 51.5%±16.2Highest MN: 48.1% 33.3%±100Lowest MN: 48.1%
Cook and Owens Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 11.6%Lowest MN: 9.3% 43.4%Highest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 67.3%Lowest MN: 72.2% 97.4%Highest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1971Lowest 8 yrs older than MN 1980Highest 1 yr newer than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 17 minLowest 27% below MN 21 minHighest 8% below MN
Work from home 6.4%±6.7Lowest MN: 17.6% 12.5%±7.7Highest MN: 17.6%
Owens Township 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%Highest 0%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 23.8 miHighest 23.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 3.24Highest 0.21Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Virginia (24%)Virginia (24%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Owens Township10% work in Cook
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 15.3%Highest 3.9%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 4.1 miLowest 12.9 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.6 miHighest 0.5 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 5Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 19.0Highest 0.9Lowest
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.

Owens Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Owens Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Cook and Owens Township

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Bordering Cook

F
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Field Township285 people · $172K homes

Towns like Cook

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Littlefork636 people · $151K homes
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Ulen413 people · $174K homes
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Hendricks517 people · $116K homes
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Barrett349 people · $132K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Minnesota towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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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