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Lancaster vs Poppleton Township

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (26.4× in Lancaster) and trails (19.4× in Poppleton Township).

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Lancaster, MNA regional job hubMinnesota · 315 people
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Poppleton Township, MNA small town of 87Kittson County · 87 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.

LancasterA regional job hub
Work223 jobsbased in Lancaster, a regional job hub All about Lancaster →
Poppleton TownshipA small town of 87
Quiet strengthsPoppleton Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Poppleton 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 grid26.4×
Lancaster has the more walkable street grid
Lancaster 21.1Poppleton Township 0.8
Trails19.4×
Poppleton Township has more miles of trail
Poppleton Township 13.6 miLancaster 0.7 mi
Jobs per worker16.5×
Lancaster is more of a job hub
Lancaster 1.65Poppleton Township 0.10
Property tax bill+62%
Tax bills are bigger in Poppleton Township
Poppleton Township $2,917Lancaster $1,800
Size3.6×
Lancaster is the bigger place
Lancaster 315Poppleton Township 87
Work in town+17 pts
More of Lancaster’s workers stay in town
Lancaster 17%Poppleton Township 0%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $420 more a month in Poppleton 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.

Lancaster$710/mo
Typical home $107K (Census) · tax rate 1.68% · or rent about $900/mo · Housing →
Poppleton Township$1,130/mo
Typical home $170K (Census) · tax rate 1.72% · Housing →

The difference: $420 a month, about $5,000 a year, between Poppleton Township and Lancaster.

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

Lancaster and Poppleton Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

LancasterPoppleton TownshipLancasterPoppleton Township
Lancaster ↔ Poppleton Township3.4 miles apart · They share a border
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
B−LancasterBetter than 52% of districts in the state –Poppleton TownshipNot graded
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
LancasterPoppleton Township
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)79th79th
Outdoors & history
LancasterPoppleton Township
Trails1 mi14 mi
Conserved land0%1.6%
Settled—1893
Community
LancasterPoppleton 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.

LancasterPoppleton Township
People
Population 315Highest 87Lowest
Median age 49.7±7.8Highest 28% above MN 34.8±9.1Lowest 10% below MN
Lancaster and Poppleton Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 24.1%±4.9Lowest MN: 22.9% 33.3%±15Highest MN: 22.9%
Poppleton Township and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 23.5%±4.8Highest MN: 17.3% 14.9%±27.1Lowest MN: 17.3%
Lancaster and Poppleton Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 23%Lowest MN: 39.4% 36.2%Highest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.3%±2Highest MN: 5.8% 1.1%±12Lowest MN: 5.8%
Lancaster and Poppleton Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $64,306±$14kLowest 28% below MN $107,500±$56kHighest 21% above MN
Poppleton Township and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $107,300±$56kLowest 67% below MN $169,600±$66kHighest 48% below MN
Poppleton Township and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $900±$541 30% below MN —
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,800Lowest 46% below MN $2,917Highest 13% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 34.6%±45.6 MN: 48.1% —
Below poverty line 4.8%Lowest MN: 9.3% 6.9%Highest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 79.9%Lowest MN: 72.2% 80.8%Highest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1957Lowest 22 yrs older than MN 1974Highest 5 yrs older than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 20 minLowest 13% below MN 21 minHighest 6% below MN
Work from home 7.6%±3.8Lowest MN: 17.6% 15.6%±14.5Highest MN: 17.6%
Poppleton Township and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 17%Highest 0%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 23.8 miHighest 22.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.65Highest 0.10Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Hallock (14%)Lancaster (22%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Poppleton Township22% work in Lancaster
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 1.6%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.7 miLowest 13.6 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miLowest 0.4 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1 1
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 21.1Highest 0.8Lowest
Schools
School district LANCASTER PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT—
High school in town Lancaster Secondary—
Students per teacherat that high school 14.3 —
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.

Lancaster neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lancaster’s Town Square.

Poppleton Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Poppleton Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Lancaster

G
+ Compare
Granville Township58 people · $238K homes

Towns like Lancaster

M
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Minnesota Falls Township396 people · $158K homes
W
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Wood Lake368 people · $92K homes
+ Compare
Remer371 people · $153K homes
C
+ Compare
Clinton281 people · $70K 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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