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Compare towns

Montrose vs Plainview

106 miles apart. The biggest differences: growth since 2010 (+28.3 pts in Montrose) and rent (+78% in Montrose).

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Montrose, MNKnown for its schoolsMinnesota · 3,888 people
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Plainview, MNKnown for its schoolsMinnesota · 3,500 people
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.

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.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $240 more a month in Montrose

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.

Montrose$2,010/mo
Typical home $324K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.14% · or rent about $1,474/mo · Housing →
Plainview$1,770/mo
Typical home $284K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.17% · or rent about $828/mo · Housing →

The difference: $240 a month, about $2,800 a year, between Montrose and Plainview.

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

Montrose places higher on 10 of 20 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.

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
MontrosePlainview
Snow a year45″45″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)40th20th
Outdoors & history
MontrosePlainview
Trails0 mi0 mi
Conserved land4%1.8%
Settled1878—
National Register places1—
Archive photos14—
Community
MontrosePlainview
Library hours a week—45 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.

Where they are

106 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Montrose ↔ Plainview106 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.

MontrosePlainview
People
Population 3,888Highest 3,500Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +32.6%Highest MN: +7.6% +4.3%Lowest MN: +7.6%
Median age 32.4±2.8Lowest 16% below MN 34±2.4Highest 12% below MN
Plainview and Montrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 31.1%±5.8Lowest MN: 22.9% 32.1%±5.3Highest MN: 22.9%
Plainview and Montrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 6.9%±2.6Lowest MN: 17.3% 15.3%±3.1Highest MN: 17.3%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 35.4%Highest MN: 39.4% 31%Lowest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4%±3.2Highest MN: 5.8% 3.2%±1.3Lowest MN: 5.8%
Montrose and Plainview are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $102,625±$15kHighest 15% above MN $82,926±$8kLowest 7% below MN
Montrose and Plainview are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $275,700±$14kHighest 16% below MN $245,300±$15kLowest 26% below MN
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,474±$400Highest 15% above MN $828±$78Lowest 35% below MN
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,152Highest 6% below MN $2,882Lowest 14% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 29.8%±17Lowest MN: 48.1% 49.5%±32.4Highest MN: 48.1%
Plainview and Montrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 5.3%Lowest MN: 9.3% 5.9%Highest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 78.2%Lowest MN: 72.2% 83.7%Highest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 2002Highest 23 yrs newer than MN 1977Lowest 2 yrs older than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 33 minHighest 44% above MN 23 minLowest about the MN average
Work from home 8.6%±4.2Highest MN: 17.6% 4.5%±2.7Lowest MN: 17.6%
Montrose and Plainview are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.3%Lowest 17.9%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 22.8 miHighest 17.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.16Lowest 0.57Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Buffalo (10%)Rochester (45%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in PlainviewFew work in Montrose
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 4%Highest 1.8%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.3 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Lowest 7Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 42.1Lowest 68.1Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #149 of 230 in MN#62 of 230 in MN
School district Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose SchoolsPlainview-Elgin-Millville
High school in town None in townPlainview-Elgin-Millville High
Students per teacherat that high school — 17.5
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.

Montrose neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Montrose’s Town Square.

Plainview neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Plainview’s Town Square.

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Bordering Montrose

Towns like Montrose

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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