Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Fairfield Township vs Union Township

Next-door neighbors in Grand Forks County. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (12.2× in Union Township) and trails (5.5× in Fairfield Township).

F ×
Fairfield Township, NDA small town of 280Grand Forks County · 280 people
U ×
Union Township, NDA small town of 143Grand Forks County · 143 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.

Fairfield TownshipA small town of 280
Quiet strengthsFairfield Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Fairfield Township →
Union TownshipA small town of 143
Quiet strengthsUnion Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Union 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.

Jobs per worker12.2×
Union Township is more of a job hub
Union Township 0.73Fairfield Township 0.06
Trails5.5×
Fairfield Township has more miles of trail
Fairfield Township 13.1 miUnion Township 2.4 mi
Property tax bill+40%
Tax bills are bigger in Fairfield Township
Fairfield Township $1,727Union Township $1,235
Typical home built31 yrs
Fairfield Township’s homes are older
Union Township 1969Fairfield Township 1938
Average commute6 min
Fairfield Township has the shorter commute
Union Township 30 minFairfield Township 24 min
Street grid+43%
Union Township has the more walkable street grid
Union Township 1.0Fairfield Township 0.7
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $800 more a month in Fairfield 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.

Fairfield Township$1,840/mo
Typical home $324K (Census) · tax rate 0.53% · Housing →
Union Township$1,040/mo
Typical home $179K (Census) · tax rate 0.69% · Housing →

The difference: $800 a month, about $9,600 a year, between Fairfield Township and Union 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

Fairfield Township and Union Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Fairfield TownshipUnion TownshipFairfield TownshipUnion Township
Fairfield Township ↔ Union Township6.5 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
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
Fairfield TownshipUnion Township
Snow a year48″49″
January low-3°F-1°F
July high81°F80°F
Growing season (days)133d144d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)47th47th
Outdoors & history
Fairfield TownshipUnion Township
Trails13 mi2 mi
Conserved land3.5%0%
Archive photos—1
Community
Fairfield TownshipUnion 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.

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.

Fairfield TownshipUnion Township
People
Population 280Highest 143Lowest
Median age 64.1±7.4Highest 79% above ND 43.3±18.2Lowest 21% above ND
Fairfield Township and Union Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 10%±8.4Lowest ND: 23.5% 28.7%±14.5Highest ND: 23.5%
Union Township and Fairfield Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 6.1%±9.9Lowest ND: 16.5% 23.1%±17.9Highest ND: 16.5%
Union Township and Fairfield Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 33.3%Lowest ND: 32.7% 35.4%Highest ND: 32.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0.7%±3.8Lowest ND: 7.6% 2.1%±7.5Highest ND: 7.6%
Union Township and Fairfield Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $88,333±$13kLowest 15% above ND $89,750±$67kHighest 17% above ND
Union Township and Fairfield Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $324,300±$70kHighest 30% above ND $179,200±$79kLowest 28% below ND
Fairfield Township and Union Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,727Highest 30% below ND $1,235Lowest 50% below ND
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent — 100%±100 ND: 38.9%
Below poverty line 4.3%Highest ND: 10.8% 2.1%Lowest ND: 10.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 95.3%Highest ND: 62.9% 89.8%Lowest ND: 62.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1938Lowest 44 yrs older than ND 1969Highest 13 yrs older than ND
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 24 minLowest 35% above ND 30 minHighest 68% above ND
Work from home 7.6%±9.3Highest ND: 8.1% 0%±11.8Lowest ND: 8.1%
Fairfield Township and Union 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 14.8 miLowest 17.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.06Lowest 0.73Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Grand Forks (63%)Grand Forks (65%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Union TownshipFew work in Fairfield Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3.5%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 13.1 miHighest 2.4 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 0.7Lowest 1.0Highest
North Dakota 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.

Fairfield Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Fairfield Township’s Town Square.

Union Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Union Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Fairfield Township and Union Township

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

Bordering Fairfield Township

A
+ Compare
Allendale Township595 people · $314K homes
O
+ Compare
Oakville Township132 people
P
+ Compare
Pleasant View Township78 people · $294K homes

Towns like Fairfield Township

+ Compare
Frontier169 people · $385K homes
B
+ Compare
Barrie Township262 people · $380K homes
W
+ Compare
Wright Township121 people · $286K homes
F
+ Compare
Falconer Township203 people · $229K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks North Dakota 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.

Post to Fairfield Township

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in