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Custer Township vs Bowstring Township

248 miles apart. The biggest differences: seasonal homes (+52.2 pts in Bowstring Township) and conserved land (+41.1 pts in Bowstring Township).

C ×
Custer Township, MNA small town of 161Lyon County · 161 people
B ×
Bowstring Township, MNAn outdoors townItasca County · 177 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.

Custer TownshipA small town of 161
Quiet strengthsCuster Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Custer Township →
Bowstring TownshipAn outdoors town
Outdoors45.1% conserved land16 miles of trails across 2 parks and preserves All about Bowstring 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.

Seasonal homes+52.2 pts
Bowstring Township has more second homes
Bowstring Township 52.2%Custer Township 0%
Conserved land+41.1 pts
Bowstring Township has more conserved land
Bowstring Township 45.1%Custer Township 4%
Average commute12 min
Custer Township has the shorter commute
Bowstring Township 36 minCuster Township 24 min
Jobs per worker2.5×
Bowstring Township is more of a job hub
Bowstring Township 0.15Custer Township 0.06
Typical home built31 yrs
Custer Township’s homes are older
Bowstring Township 1984Custer Township 1953
Property tax bill+38%
Tax bills are bigger in Custer Township
Custer Township $1,850Bowstring Township $1,344
★ 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.

Custer Township$1,430/mo
Typical home $243K (Census) · tax rate 0.76% · Housing →
Bowstring Township$1,400/mo
Typical home $246K (Census) · tax rate 0.55% · 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.

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
Custer TownshipBowstring Township
Snow a year49″64″
January low5°F-5°F
July high82°F77°F
Growing season (days)156d140d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)60th74th
Outdoors & history
Custer TownshipBowstring Township
Trails15 mi16 mi
Conserved land4%45.1%
Settled1876—
Community
Custer TownshipBowstring 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.

Where they are

248 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Custer TownshipLyon CountyBowstring TownshipItasca County
Custer Township ↔ Bowstring Township248 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.

Custer TownshipBowstring Township
People
Population 161Lowest 177Highest
Median age 62.2±10Highest 60% above MN 61.9±5.4Lowest 60% above MN
Custer Township and Bowstring Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 16.1%±6.1Highest MN: 22.9% 12.4%±8.2Lowest MN: 22.9%
Custer Township and Bowstring Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 46%±10.3Highest MN: 17.3% 35.6%±2.5Lowest MN: 17.3%
Custer Township and Bowstring Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 19%Highest MN: 39.4% 16.6%Lowest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.2%±2.2Lowest MN: 5.8% 2.8%±2.4Highest MN: 5.8%
Bowstring Township and Custer Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $73,750±$22kHighest 17% below MN $72,083±$15kLowest 19% below MN
Custer Township and Bowstring Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $242,900±$62kLowest 26% below MN $246,200±$34kHighest 25% below MN
Bowstring Township and Custer Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,850Highest 45% below MN $1,344Lowest 60% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100 MN: 48.1% —
Below poverty line 14.9%Highest MN: 9.3% 6.8%Lowest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 91.7%Lowest MN: 72.2% 97.8%Highest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1953Lowest 26 yrs older than MN 1984Highest 5 yrs newer than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 24 minLowest 4% above MN 36 minHighest 57% above MN
Work from home 26.5%±23.3Highest MN: 17.6% 2.8%±4.1Lowest MN: 17.6%
Custer Township and Bowstring Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0% 0%
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 17.3 miLowest 37.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.06Lowest 0.15Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Marshall (39%)Grand Rapids (11%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Bowstring TownshipFew work in Custer Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 4%Lowest 45.1%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 14.9 miLowest 16.0 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 mi 0.4 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Highest 2Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.4Highest 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.

Custer Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Custer Township’s Town Square.

Bowstring Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bowstring Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Custer Township

M
+ Compare
Monroe Township261 people · $173K homes
R
+ Compare
Rock Lake Township248 people · $310K homes
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Sodus Township198 people · $267K homes
L
+ Compare
Lake Sarah Township308 people · $383K homes

Towns like Custer Township

R
+ Compare
Round Lake Township191 people · $255K homes
+ Compare
Red Lake Falls Township151 people · $206K homes
S
+ Compare
Stokes Township169 people · $247K homes
E
+ Compare
Elbow Lake Township100 people · $261K 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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