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Compare towns

Pine City vs Wadena

112 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (23.5× in Wadena) and average commute (14 min in Wadena).

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Pine City, MNHomes around $245KMinnesota · 3,468 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 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 Pine City

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.

Pine City$1,520/mo
Typical home $245K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.16% · or rent about $680/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 Pine City 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.

Report cards

Pine City places higher on 9 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
Pine CityWadena
Snow a year52″51″
January low1°F-2°F
July high82°F78°F
Growing season (days)141d141d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)64th12th
Outdoors & history
Pine CityWadena
Trails0 mi5 mi
Conserved land1.1%2.8%
Settled18811881
National Register places—3
Archive photos—12
Famous people born here—8
Community
Pine CityWadena
Library hours a week41 hrs38 hrs
Colleges in town1—
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

112 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Pine City ↔ Wadena112 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.

Pine CityWadena
People
Population 3,468Lowest 4,419Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +0.2%Lowest MN: +7.6% +5.8%Highest MN: +7.6%
Median age 41±4.6Highest 6% above MN 39.2±2.3Lowest about the MN average
Pine City and Wadena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 18.7%±4.3Lowest MN: 22.9% 27%±5.4Highest MN: 22.9%
Wadena and Pine City are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 22.9%±5.2Highest MN: 17.3% 18.2%±4Lowest MN: 17.3%
Pine City and Wadena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 17.9%Highest MN: 39.4% 17.6%Lowest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.7%±2.5Lowest MN: 5.8% 4.1%±2.4Highest MN: 5.8%
Wadena and Pine City are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $52,056±$8kLowest 42% below MN $56,080±$9kHighest 37% below MN
Wadena and Pine City are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $186,900±$13kHighest 43% below MN $160,800±$7kLowest 51% below MN
Rentmedian gross, monthly $680±$146Lowest 47% below MN $684±$105Highest 47% below MN
Wadena and Pine City are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,162Highest 36% below MN $1,493Lowest 56% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 55.8%±21Highest MN: 48.1% 41.6%±13.6Lowest MN: 48.1%
Pine City and Wadena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 12.4%Lowest MN: 9.3% 17.7%Highest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 60.9%Highest MN: 72.2% 58.1%Lowest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1975Highest 4 yrs older than MN 1964Lowest 15 yrs older than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 29 minHighest 29% above MN 15 minLowest 33% below MN
Work from home 4.3%±2.3Lowest MN: 17.6% 5%±4.7Highest MN: 17.6%
Wadena and Pine City are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 27.4%Lowest 37.8%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 20.3 miHighest 15.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.73Highest 1.72Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Hinckley (5%)Perham (7%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in WadenaFew work in Pine City
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.1%Lowest 2.8%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.2 miLowest 4.7 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.9 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Lowest 5Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 33.8Lowest 52.4Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #187 of 230 in MN#205 of 230 in MN
School district PINE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTFreshwater Education District · WADENA-DEER CREEK SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town Pine City SecondaryWadena-Deer Creek Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school 19.2Lowest 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.

Pine City neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Pine City’s Town Square.

Wadena neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Wadena’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Pine City

Towns like Pine City

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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