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Minden Township vs St. Cloud

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: size (49.5× in St. Cloud) and street grid (16.2× in St. Cloud).

M ×
Minden Township, MNA regional job hubBenton County · 1,428 people
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St. Cloud, MNA college townMinnesota · 70,629 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.

Minden TownshipA regional job hub
Work1,630 jobsbased in Minden Township, a regional job hub All about Minden Township →
St. CloudA college town
College town3 collegesSaint Cloud State University Health51% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates Housing$258K typical home27% below the MN typical home All about St. Cloud →
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.

Size49.5×
St. Cloud is the bigger place
St. Cloud 70,629Minden Township 1,428
Street grid16.2×
St. Cloud has the more walkable street grid
St. Cloud 53.4Minden Township 3.3
Rent+73%
Rent runs higher in Minden Township
Minden Township $1,731St. Cloud $1,003
Work in town+40.8 pts
More of St. Cloud’s workers stay in town
St. Cloud 44%Minden Township 3.2%
Median age19.3 yrs
Minden Township skews older
Minden Township 49.9St. Cloud 30.6
Homeowners+35.2 pts renters
St. Cloud has more renters
Minden Township 83.8%St. Cloud 48.6%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $180 more a month in Minden 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.

Minden Township$1,750/mo
Typical home $297K (Census) · tax rate 0.79% · or rent about $1,731/mo · Housing →
St. Cloud$1,570/mo
Typical home $258K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.03% · or rent about $1,003/mo · Housing →

The difference: $180 a month, about $2,200 a year, between Minden Township and St. Cloud.

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

Minden Township and St. Cloud share a border

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

Minden TownshipSt. CloudMinden TownshipSt. Cloud
Minden Township ↔ St. Cloud7.9 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
346 St. Cloud residents work in Minden Township (1.2% of its workers)
269 Minden Township residents work in St. Cloud (37.5% of its workers)
Work & commute in St. Cloud →
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
–Minden TownshipNot graded DSt. CloudSafer than 14% of U.S. towns
Schools
–Minden TownshipNot graded C−St. CloudBetter than 23% of districts in the state
Health
BMinden TownshipHealthier than 61% of U.S. towns B−St. CloudHealthier than 49% 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
Minden TownshipSt. Cloud
Snow a year48″48″
January low3°F3°F
July high82°F82°F
Growing season (days)144d144d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)25th52nd
Outdoors & history
Minden TownshipSt. Cloud
Trails5 mi16 mi
Conserved land0.1%5.2%
Settled—1856
National Register places—14
Community
Minden TownshipSt. Cloud
Library hours a week—57 hrs
Colleges in town—3
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined01

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.

Minden TownshipSt. Cloud
People
Population 1,428Lowest 70,629Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -9%Lowest MN: +7.6% +4.6%Highest MN: +7.6%
Median age 49.9±4.8Highest 29% above MN 30.6±0.7Lowest 21% below MN
Kids under 18 16.8%±3.8Lowest MN: 22.9% 21.9%±1.3Highest MN: 22.9%
St. Cloud and Minden Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 25.1%±3.1Highest MN: 17.3% 13.3%±0.9Lowest MN: 17.3%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 24.6%Lowest MN: 39.4% 30.4%Highest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.7%±1.6Lowest MN: 5.8% 13.6%±1.1Highest MN: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $76,250±$10kHighest 14% below MN $61,374±$4kLowest 31% below MN
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $297,300±$29kHighest 10% below MN $225,000±$7kLowest 32% below MN
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,731±$52Highest 35% above MN $1,003±$44Lowest 22% below MN
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,347Highest 30% below MN $2,320Lowest 31% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 2.9%±25.2Lowest MN: 48.1% 47.5%±4.7Highest MN: 48.1%
Below poverty line 3.2%Lowest MN: 9.3% 20.2%Highest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 83.8%Highest MN: 72.2% 48.6%Lowest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1976Lowest 3 yrs older than MN 1981Highest 2 yrs newer than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 22 minHighest 4% below MN 20 minLowest 13% below MN
Work from home 25.8%±10.1Highest MN: 17.6% 8.5%±1.2Lowest MN: 17.6%
Work in townworking residents 3.2%Lowest 44%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.3 miHighest 4.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.27Highest 1.56Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town St. Cloud (37%)Waite Park (8%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 37% work in St. Cloud1% work in Minden Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.1%Lowest 5.2%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 5.4 miLowest 16.4 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miLowest 0.4 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Lowest 47Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 3.3Lowest 53.4Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#214 of 230 in MN
School district —STRIDE Academy · MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
High school in town —Technical Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school — 17.9
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.

Minden Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Minden Township’s Town Square.

St. Cloud neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Life Along the Mississippi

1 neighbor in St. Cloud can answer.

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Bordering Minden Township

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Sauk Rapids13,852 people · $256K homes
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Sauk Rapids Township453 people · $338K homes
S
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St. George Township1,162 people · $398K homes
M
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Mayhew Lake Township1,031 people · $400K homes

Towns like Minden Township

C
+ Compare
Center Township1,343 people · $339K homes
B
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Barnum Township1,172 people · $244K homes
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Hollywood Township992 people · $454K homes
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St. Wendel Township2,315 people · $332K 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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