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.

Down paymentRate%

Milaca$1,480/mo

Typical home $239K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.17% · or rent about $835/mo · Housing →

Park Rapids$2,000/mo

Typical home $327K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.04% · or rent about $825/mo · Housing →

The difference: $510 a month, about $6,100 a year, between Park Rapids and Milaca.

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

Park Rapids places higher on 14 of 22 MN lists

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

B−MilacaSafer than 45% of U.S. towns C−Park RapidsSafer than 24% of U.S. towns

Schools

BMilacaBetter than 59% of districts in the state C+Park RapidsBetter than 36% of districts in the state

Health

B−MilacaHealthier than 49% of U.S. towns B−Park RapidsHealthier than 55% of U.S. towns

8Milaca

14Park Rapids

Lists won, of 22 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Fastest growingGrowth · 272 towns #210#75 Lowest depressionHealth · 273 towns #118#15 Highest graduation rateSchools · 238 towns #144#231 Most new homesHousing · 239 towns #181#97 Best schoolsSchools · 230 towns #162#87 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 275 towns #173#255 Shortest commuteGetting around · 275 towns #266#188 Most trailsOutdoors · 223 towns #151#199

Left end = #1 in Minnesota. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Milaca’s rankings →

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

MilacaPark Rapids

Snow a year49″52″

January low1°F -4°F

July high80°F 79°F

Growing season (days)143d 130d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)51st 31st

Outdoors & history

MilacaPark Rapids

Trails1 mi 1 mi

Conserved land1.3%1.9%

Settled—1890

National Register places2 2

Community

MilacaPark Rapids

Library hours a week26 hrs 41 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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.

Where they are

104 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

MilacaMN Park RapidsMN

Milaca ↔ Park Rapids104 miles apart

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.

Only big differences vs Minnesota average

MilacaPark Rapids

People

Population 3,044Lowest 4,270Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2.5%Lowest MN: +7.6% +11.7%Highest MN: +7.6%

Median age 46.6±5Highest 20% above MN 45.8±4.2Lowest 18% above MN

Milaca and Park Rapids are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 14.5%±4.7Lowest MN: 22.9% 21.9%±3.4Highest MN: 22.9%

Park Rapids and Milaca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 22.5%±5.1Lowest MN: 17.3% 28.3%±5.4Highest MN: 17.3%

Park Rapids and Milaca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 15.2%Lowest MN: 39.4% 22%Highest MN: 39.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.9%±1.4Lowest MN: 5.8% 3.5%±1.9Highest MN: 5.8%

Park Rapids and Milaca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $49,588±$5kHighest 44% below MN $44,747±$8kLowest 50% below MN

Milaca and Park Rapids are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $203,400±$25kLowest 38% below MN $227,500±$19kHighest 31% below MN

Park Rapids and Milaca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $835±$51Highest 35% below MN $825±$297Lowest 36% below MN

Milaca and Park Rapids are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,385Highest 29% below MN $2,365Lowest 30% below MN

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 40.2%±11.8Lowest MN: 48.1% 49.5%±18.4Highest MN: 48.1%

Park Rapids and Milaca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 16.9%Lowest MN: 9.3% 21.2%Highest MN: 9.3%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 58.4%Highest MN: 72.2% 54.6%Lowest MN: 72.2%

Typical home builtmedian year 1978Lowest 1 yr older than MN 1979Highest same as MN

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 33 minHighest 46% above MN 26 minLowest 14% above MN

Work from home 9.5%±4.9Lowest MN: 17.6% 9.9%±4.6Highest MN: 17.6%

Park Rapids and Milaca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 18.6%Lowest 43.3%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 27.3 miHighest 5.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.29Lowest 2.00Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Princeton (7%)Detroit Lakes (4%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Park RapidsFew work in Milaca

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 1.3%Lowest 1.9%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 1.4 mi 1.4 mi

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miHighest 0.2 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Highest 2Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 36.3Highest 35.0Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #162 of 230 in MN #87 of 230 in MN

School district MILACA PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTPARK RAPIDS PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT · Heartland Lakes Community School

High school in town Milaca Secondary HighPark Rapids Senior High

Students per teacherat that high school 17.4Highest 12.7Lowest

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.

Milaca neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Milaca’s Town Square.

Park Rapids neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Park Rapids’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Milaca and Park Rapids

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

Bordering Milaca

+ Compare

Milaca Township1,947 people · $294K homes

+ Compare

Borgholm Township1,742 people · $269K homes

Towns like Milaca

+ Compare

Mora3,732 people · $172K homes

+ Compare

Aitkin2,323 people · $181K homes

+ Compare

Moose Lake2,863 people · $205K homes

+ Compare

Hinckley1,596 people · $183K homes

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Minnesota 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.

Milaca vs Park Rapids

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $510 more a month in Park Rapids

Park Rapids places higher on 14 of 22 MN lists

What daily life feels like in each

104 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Milaca and Park Rapids

Bordering Milaca

Towns like Milaca

Post to Milaca

Check your email