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Compare towns

Mora vs Wadena

96 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (+71% in Mora) and trails (2.5× in Wadena).

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Mora, MNHomes around $235KMinnesota · 3,732 people
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Wadena, MNHomes around $213KMinnesota · 4,419 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 differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Report cards

Wadena places higher on 10 of 21 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.

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $240 more a month in Mora

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.

Mora$1,520/mo
Typical home $235K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.48% · or rent about $788/mo · Housing →
Wadena$1,280/mo
Typical home $213K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.93% · or rent about $684/mo · Housing →

The difference: $240 a month, about $2,900 a year, between Mora 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.

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
MoraWadena
Snow a year52″51″
January low1°F-2°F
July high80°F78°F
Growing season (days)142d141d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)47th12th
Outdoors & history
MoraWadena
Trails2 mi5 mi
Conserved land2.9%2.8%
Settled18821881
National Register places33
Archive photos612
Famous people born here38
Community
MoraWadena
Library hours a week52 hrs38 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

96 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Mora ↔ Wadena96 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.

MoraWadena
People
Population 3,732Lowest 4,419Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2.6%Lowest MN: +7.6% +5.8%Highest MN: +7.6%
Median age 43.2±5Highest 11% above MN 39.2±2.3Lowest about the MN average
Mora and Wadena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 18.9%±4.5Lowest MN: 22.9% 27%±5.4Highest MN: 22.9%
Wadena and Mora are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 28%±5Highest MN: 17.3% 18.2%±4Lowest MN: 17.3%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 16.7%Lowest MN: 39.4% 17.6%Highest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.8%±0.8Lowest MN: 5.8% 4.1%±2.4Highest MN: 5.8%
Wadena and Mora are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $52,535±$17kLowest 41% below MN $56,080±$9kHighest 37% below MN
Wadena and Mora are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $171,800±$15kHighest 48% below MN $160,800±$7kLowest 51% below MN
Mora and Wadena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $788±$253Highest 38% below MN $684±$105Lowest 47% below MN
Mora and Wadena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,549Highest 24% below MN $1,493Lowest 56% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 41.6%±10.6 MN: 48.1% 41.6%±13.6 MN: 48.1%
Below poverty line 16.6%Lowest MN: 9.3% 17.7%Highest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 60.7%Highest MN: 72.2% 58.1%Lowest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1979Highest same as MN 1964Lowest 15 yrs older than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 26 minHighest 16% above MN 15 minLowest 33% below MN
Work from home 4.4%±3.1Lowest MN: 17.6% 5%±4.7Highest MN: 17.6%
Wadena and Mora are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 34.1%Lowest 37.8%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 21.3 miHighest 15.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.00Highest 1.72Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Cambridge (6%)Perham (7%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in WadenaFew work in Mora
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.9%Highest 2.8%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 1.9 miLowest 4.7 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miLowest 0.9 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 5Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 39.0Lowest 52.4Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #113 of 230 in MN#205 of 230 in MN
School district Mora Public SchoolsFreshwater Education District · WADENA-DEER CREEK SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town Mora High SchoolWadena-Deer Creek Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school 16.0Lowest 19.7Highest
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.

Mora neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mora’s Town Square.

Wadena neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Wadena’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Mora

Towns like Mora

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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