Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Gray Township vs Elmer Township

Next-door neighbors in Pipestone County. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (5.3× in Gray Township) and work from home (+11.9 pts in Elmer Township).

G ×
Gray Township, MNA small town of 208Pipestone County · 208 people
E ×
Elmer Township, MNA small town of 266Pipestone County · 266 people
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.

Gray TownshipA small town of 208
Quiet strengthsGray Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Gray Township →
Elmer TownshipA small town of 266
Quiet strengthsElmer Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Elmer Township →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $430 more a month in Gray 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.

Gray Township$1,900/mo
Typical home $336K (Census) · tax rate 0.49% · Housing →
Elmer Township$1,460/mo
Typical home $250K (Census) · tax rate 0.73% · or rent about $1,188/mo · Housing →

The difference: $430 a month, about $5,200 a year, between Gray Township and Elmer 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

Gray Township and Elmer Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Gray TownshipElmer TownshipGray TownshipElmer Township
Gray Township ↔ Elmer Township4.9 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
Gray TownshipElmer Township
Snow a year40″40″
January low5°F5°F
July high82°F82°F
Growing season (days)152d152d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)52nd52nd
Outdoors & history
Gray TownshipElmer Township
Trails0 mi0 mi
Conserved land0%1%
Settled18791879
Community
Gray TownshipElmer 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.

Gray TownshipElmer Township
People
Population 208Lowest 266Highest
Median age 53.2±17Highest 37% above MN 42.4±7.5Lowest 9% above MN
Gray Township and Elmer Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 27.4%±8.9Highest MN: 22.9% 24.4%±5.6Lowest MN: 22.9%
Gray Township and Elmer Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 19.7%±7.3Highest MN: 17.3% 17.3%±8.4Lowest MN: 17.3%
Gray Township and Elmer Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 26.8%Highest MN: 39.4% 18.1%Lowest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0.5%±4.9Lowest MN: 5.8% 5.3%±3.9Highest MN: 5.8%
Elmer Township and Gray Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $133,250±$33kHighest 50% above MN $85,625±$56kLowest 4% below MN
Gray Township and Elmer Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $335,700±$29kHighest about the MN average $250,000±$41kLowest 24% below MN
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $1,188±$904 7% below MN
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,653Lowest 51% below MN $1,833Highest 45% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent — 0%±100 MN: 48.1%
Below poverty line 1%Lowest MN: 9.3% 2.3%Highest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 100%Highest MN: 72.2% 93.2%Lowest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1965Highest 14 yrs older than MN 1962Lowest 17 yrs older than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 16 minLowest 28% below MN 21 minHighest 9% below MN
Work from home 2.4%±3.1Lowest MN: 17.6% 14.3%±6.9Highest MN: 17.6%
Work in townworking residents 1.7%Highest 0%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 12.8 miLowest 14.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.63Highest 0.12Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Pipestone (28%)Pipestone (33%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Elmer TownshipFew work in Gray Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 1%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.3 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1 1
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.1Lowest 1.2Highest
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.

Gray Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Gray Township’s Town Square.

Elmer Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Elmer Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Gray Township and Elmer Township

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

Bordering Gray Township

Towns like Gray Township

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 Gray 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