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Leaf River Township vs Wadena

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (47.6× in Wadena) and jobs per worker (7.5× in Wadena).

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Leaf River Township, MNA small town of 804Wadena County · 804 people
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Wadena, MNHomes around $213KMinnesota · 4,419 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.

Leaf River TownshipA small town of 804
Quiet strengthsLeaf River Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Leaf River Township →
WadenaHomes around $213K
Housing$213K typical home39% below the MN typical home Work2,959 jobsbased in Wadena, a regional job hub Outdoors#66 most trails in MN4.7 miles of trails across 5 parks and preserves All about Wadena →
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 grid47.6×
Wadena has the more walkable street grid
Wadena 52.4Leaf River Township 1.1
Jobs per worker7.5×
Wadena is more of a job hub
Wadena 1.72Leaf River Township 0.23
Rent2×
Rent runs higher in Leaf River Township
Leaf River Township $1,335Wadena $684
Property tax bill+71%
Tax bills are bigger in Leaf River Township
Leaf River Township $2,556Wadena $1,493
Work in town+36.3 pts
More of Wadena’s workers stay in town
Wadena 37.8%Leaf River Township 1.5%
Size5.5×
Wadena is the bigger place
Wadena 4,419Leaf River Township 804
★ What stands out · Where they are

Leaf River Township and Wadena share a border

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

Leaf River TownshipWadenaLeaf River TownshipWadena
Leaf River Township ↔ Wadena4.0 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
49 Leaf River Township residents work in Wadena (24.5% of its workers)
Work & commute in Leaf River Township →
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.

Leaf River Township$1,370/mo
Typical home $221K (Census) · tax rate 1.16% · or rent about $1,335/mo · Housing →
Wadena$1,280/mo
Typical home $213K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.93% · or rent about $684/mo · Housing →

The difference: $90 a month, about $1,100 a year, between Leaf River Township and Wadena.

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.

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.

Safety
–Leaf River TownshipNot graded C+WadenaSafer than 39% of U.S. towns
Schools
–Leaf River TownshipNot graded C+WadenaBetter than 42% of districts in the state
Health
–Leaf River TownshipNot graded CWadenaHealthier than 25% 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
Leaf River TownshipWadena
Snow a year51″51″
January low-2°F-2°F
July high78°F78°F
Growing season (days)141d141d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)44th12th
Outdoors & history
Leaf River TownshipWadena
Trails4 mi5 mi
Conserved land0.4%2.8%
Settled—1881
National Register places—3
Archive photos—12
Famous people born here—8
Community
Leaf River TownshipWadena
Library hours a week—38 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.

Leaf River TownshipWadena
People
Population 804Lowest 4,419Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -10.9%Lowest MN: +7.6% +5.8%Highest MN: +7.6%
Median age 39.2±3.4 about the MN average 39.2±2.3 about the MN average
Kids under 18 19.9%±4.3Lowest MN: 22.9% 27%±5.4Highest MN: 22.9%
Wadena and Leaf River Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 14.3%±1.2Lowest MN: 17.3% 18.2%±4Highest MN: 17.3%
Wadena and Leaf River Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 13.5%Lowest MN: 39.4% 17.6%Highest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.4%±5.2Highest MN: 5.8% 4.1%±2.4Lowest MN: 5.8%
Leaf River Township and Wadena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $86,161±$9kHighest 3% below MN $56,080±$9kLowest 37% below MN
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $220,800±$46kHighest 33% below MN $160,800±$7kLowest 51% below MN
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,335±$133Highest 4% above MN $684±$105Lowest 47% below MN
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,556Highest 24% below MN $1,493Lowest 56% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 5.4%±20.4Lowest MN: 48.1% 41.6%±13.6Highest MN: 48.1%
Below poverty line 10.9%Lowest MN: 9.3% 17.7%Highest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 77.6%Highest MN: 72.2% 58.1%Lowest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1975Highest 4 yrs older than MN 1964Lowest 15 yrs older than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 27 minHighest 19% above MN 15 minLowest 33% below MN
Work from home 2.9%±3Lowest MN: 17.6% 5%±4.7Highest MN: 17.6%
Wadena and Leaf River Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.5%Lowest 37.8%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 18.8 miHighest 15.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.23Lowest 1.72Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Wadena (25%)Perham (7%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 25% work in WadenaFew work in Leaf River Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.4%Lowest 2.8%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 3.7 miLowest 4.7 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.9 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 5Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.1Lowest 52.4Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#205 of 230 in MN
School district —Freshwater Education District · WADENA-DEER CREEK SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town —Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school — 19.7
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.

Leaf River Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Leaf River Township’s Town Square.

Wadena neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Wadena’s Town Square.

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Bordering Leaf River Township

+ Compare
Wadena Township1,023 people · $180K homes
R
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Rockwood Township323 people · $209K homes
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Bluffton Township677 people · $217K homes
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Wing River Township419 people · $278K homes

Towns like Leaf River Township

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Compton Township804 people · $215K homes
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Jenkins508 people · $275K homes
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Morristown1,265 people · $185K homes
R
+ Compare
Randall695 people · $177K 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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