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Monroe Township vs Bluffton

155 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (11.7× in Bluffton) and street grid (6.5× in Bluffton).

M ×
Monroe Township, MNA small town of 261Lyon County · 261 people
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Bluffton, MNA small town of 263Minnesota · 263 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.

Monroe TownshipA small town of 261
Quiet strengthsMonroe Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Monroe Township →
BlufftonA small town of 263
Quiet strengthsBluffton doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Bluffton →
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.

Jobs per worker11.7×
Bluffton is more of a job hub
Bluffton 0.35Monroe Township 0.03
Street grid6.5×
Bluffton has the more walkable street grid
Bluffton 9.8Monroe Township 1.5
Trails3×
Monroe Township has more miles of trail
Monroe Township 0.3 miBluffton 0.1 mi
Typical home built18 yrs
Monroe Township’s homes are older
Bluffton 1975Monroe Township 1957
★ What stands out · 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.

Monroe Township$1,060/mo
Typical home $173K (Census) · tax rate 1.06% · Housing →
Bluffton$1,090/mo
Typical home $182K (Census) · tax rate 0.91% · or rent about $825/mo · Housing →

Within $50 a month of each other.

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.

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
Monroe TownshipBluffton
Snow a year49″51″
January low5°F-2°F
July high82°F78°F
Growing season (days)156d141d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)60th48th
Outdoors & history
Monroe TownshipBluffton
Trails0 mi—
Conserved land0.9%—
Settled18741880
Archive photos—2
Community
Monroe TownshipBluffton
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.

Where they are

155 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Monroe TownshipLyon CountyBlufftonMN
Monroe Township ↔ Bluffton155 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.

Monroe TownshipBluffton
People
Population 261Lowest 263Highest
Median age 29.4±20.3Highest 24% below MN 24.8±6.6Lowest 36% below MN
Monroe Township and Bluffton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 44.1%±23.6Highest MN: 22.9% 33.5%±6.6Lowest MN: 22.9%
Monroe Township and Bluffton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 11.5%±6.1Highest MN: 17.3% 8.4%±8.5Lowest MN: 17.3%
Monroe Township and Bluffton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 20%Highest MN: 39.4% 18.6%Lowest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±5.4Lowest MN: 5.8% 0.8%±4Highest MN: 5.8%
Bluffton and Monroe Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $78,000±$24kLowest 12% below MN $100,417±$17kHighest 13% above MN
Bluffton and Monroe Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $172,900±$57kLowest 47% below MN $182,300±$21kHighest 45% below MN
Bluffton and Monroe Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $825±$97 36% below MN
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,833Highest 45% below MN $1,650Lowest 51% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100Lowest MN: 48.1% 42.9%±100Highest MN: 48.1%
Bluffton and Monroe Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 5.8%Highest MN: 9.3% 2.3%Lowest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 87.5%Highest MN: 72.2% 83.1%Lowest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1957Lowest 22 yrs older than MN 1975Highest 4 yrs older than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 18 minLowest 21% below MN 19 minHighest 15% below MN
Work from home 8.8%±8.5Highest MN: 17.6% 2.7%±4Lowest MN: 17.6%
Monroe Township and Bluffton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 1%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 17.8 miLowest 18.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.03Lowest 0.35Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Marshall (32%)Perham (22%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in BlufftonFew work in Monroe Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.9%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.3 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.5Lowest 9.8Highest
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.

Monroe Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Monroe Township’s Town Square.

Bluffton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bluffton’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Monroe Township and Bluffton

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

Bordering Monroe Township

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Tracy2,057 people · $113K homes
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Amiret Township168 people · $254K homes
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Custer Township161 people · $243K homes
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Springdale Township198 people · $232K homes

Towns like Monroe Township

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Island Lake Township358 people · $228K homes
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Pemberton223 people · $171K homes
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Peterson244 people · $134K homes
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Sobieski192 people · $191K 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.

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