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Des Moines Township vs Jackson

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (38.1× in Jackson) and trails (16× in Des Moines Township).

D ×
Des Moines Township, MNA small town of 234Jackson County · 234 people
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Jackson, MNKnown for its schoolsMinnesota · 3,287 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.

Des Moines TownshipA small town of 234
Quiet strengthsDes Moines Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Des Moines Township →
JacksonKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 72%of MN districts Housing$207K typical home41% below the MN typical home HealthHealthier than 68%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Jackson →
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 grid38.1×
Jackson has the more walkable street grid
Jackson 41.9Des Moines Township 1.1
Trails16×
Des Moines Township has more miles of trail
Des Moines Township 1.6 miJackson 0.1 mi
Size14×
Jackson is the bigger place
Jackson 3,287Des Moines Township 234
Home values2×
Homes cost more in Des Moines Township
Des Moines Township $256,300Jackson $128,500
Work in town+40.6 pts
More of Jackson’s workers stay in town
Jackson 43.9%Des Moines Township 3.3%
Median age16.9 yrs
Des Moines Township skews older
Des Moines Township 59.1Jackson 42.2
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $190 more a month in Des Moines 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.

Des Moines Township$1,460/mo
Typical home $256K (Census) · tax rate 0.53% · Housing →
Jackson$1,270/mo
Typical home $207K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.03% · or rent about $752/mo · Housing →

The difference: $190 a month, about $2,300 a year, between Des Moines Township and Jackson.

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

Des Moines Township and Jackson share a border

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

Des Moines TownshipJacksonDes Moines TownshipJackson
Des Moines Township ↔ Jackson3.7 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
30 Jackson residents work in Des Moines Township (1.9% of its workers)
29 Des Moines Township residents work in Jackson (31.5% of its workers)
Work & commute in Jackson →
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
–Des Moines TownshipNot graded B+JacksonBetter than 72% of districts in the state
Health
–Des Moines TownshipNot graded B+JacksonHealthier than 68% 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
Des Moines TownshipJackson
Snow a year49″49″
January low5°F5°F
July high81°F81°F
Growing season (days)153d153d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)53rd58th
Outdoors & history
Des Moines TownshipJackson
Trails2 mi0 mi
Conserved land0.2%1.3%
Settled18661856
National Register places—2
Archive photos—6
Famous people born here—10
Community
Des Moines TownshipJackson
Library hours a week—43 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.

Des Moines TownshipJackson
People
Population 234Lowest 3,287Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — +0.7% MN: +7.6%
Median age 59.1±5.4Highest 52% above MN 42.2±3.3Lowest 9% above MN
Kids under 18 13.2%±5.8Lowest MN: 22.9% 23%±3.8Highest MN: 22.9%
Age 65+ 24.4%±8.1Highest MN: 17.3% 21.7%±4.3Lowest MN: 17.3%
Des Moines Township and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 28.6%Lowest MN: 39.4% 31.3%Highest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.3%±5Lowest MN: 5.8% 3.6%±1.9Highest MN: 5.8%
Jackson and Des Moines Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $89,167±$15kHighest about the MN average $70,223±$10kLowest 21% below MN
Des Moines Township and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $256,300±$75kHighest 22% below MN $128,500±$22kLowest 61% below MN
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $752±$152 41% below MN
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,357Highest 60% below MN $1,323Lowest 61% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100Lowest MN: 48.1% 43.4%±15.5Highest MN: 48.1%
Jackson and Des Moines Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 9.4%Lowest MN: 9.3% 11.8%Highest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 88.5%Highest MN: 72.2% 67%Lowest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1964Highest 15 yrs older than MN 1961Lowest 18 yrs older than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 19 minHighest 15% below MN 16 minLowest 28% below MN
Work from home 7.5%±5.4Lowest MN: 17.6% 8%±3.8Highest MN: 17.6%
Jackson and Des Moines Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 3.3%Lowest 43.9%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 13.8 miHighest 9.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.88Lowest 1.49Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Jackson (32%)Lakefield (5%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 32% work in Jackson2% work in Des Moines Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.2%Lowest 1.3%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 1.6 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Lowest 6Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.1Lowest 41.9Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#151 of 230 in MN
School district —Region 6 and 8-SW/WC Service Coop · Jackson County Central School Dist.
High school in town —Jackson County Central Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school — 15.9
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.

Des Moines Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Des Moines Township’s Town Square.

Jackson neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Jackson’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Des Moines Township

H
+ Compare
Hunter Township220 people · $237K homes
B
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Belmont Township206 people · $321K homes
M
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Middletown Township313 people · $293K homes
W
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Wisconsin Township170 people · $211K homes

Towns like Des Moines Township

N
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Nebish Township236 people · $251K homes
B
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Bernadotte Township248 people · $341K homes
R
+ Compare
Rutland Township292 people · $265K homes
L
+ Compare
Lyra Township266 people · $287K 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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