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Compare towns

Plain Township vs Buchanan

164 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (311× in Buchanan) and typical home built (59 yrs in Buchanan).

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Plain Township, NDAn outdoors townRenville County · 104 people
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Buchanan, NDKnown for its schoolsNorth Dakota · 130 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 · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $370 more a month in Plain 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.

Plain Township$1,700/mo
Typical home $309K (Census) · tax rate 0.32% · Housing →
Buchanan$1,330/mo
Typical home $228K (Census) · tax rate 0.72% · Housing →

The difference: $370 a month, about $4,500 a year, between Plain Township and Buchanan.

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

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every North Dakota 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
Plain TownshipBuchanan
Snow a year45″46″
January low4°F0°F
July high84°F82°F
Growing season (days)144d143d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)6th32nd
Outdoors & history
Plain TownshipBuchanan
Trails45 mi—
Conserved land14.9%—
Settled—1887
Community
Plain TownshipBuchanan
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

164 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Plain Township ↔ Buchanan164 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.

Plain TownshipBuchanan
People
Population 104Lowest 130Highest
Median age 31.2±22.9Lowest 13% below ND 32.5±12Highest 9% below ND
Buchanan and Plain Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 46.2%±21.6Highest ND: 23.5% 32.3%±18.1Lowest ND: 23.5%
Plain Township and Buchanan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 9.6%±31.4Highest ND: 16.5% 6.2%±23.5Lowest ND: 16.5%
Plain Township and Buchanan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 32.1%Highest ND: 32.7% 31.4%Lowest ND: 32.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±13.6Lowest ND: 7.6% 1.5%±8.3Highest ND: 7.6%
Buchanan and Plain Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $74,167±$5kLowest 3% below ND $110,469±$49kHighest 44% above ND
Buchanan and Plain Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $308,700±$43kHighest 24% above ND $227,500±$71kLowest 9% below ND
Plain Township and Buchanan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $989Lowest 60% below ND $1,646Highest 33% below ND
Below poverty line 0% ND: 10.8% 0% ND: 10.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 100% ND: 62.9% 100% ND: 62.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 2014Highest 32 yrs newer than ND 1955Lowest 27 yrs older than ND
Getting to work
Average commuteone way — 17 min 6% below ND
Work from home 0%±17.9Lowest ND: 8.1% 3.6%±5.7Highest ND: 8.1%
Buchanan and Plain Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0% 0%
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 34.8 miHighest 17.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.00Lowest 0.24Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Minot (36%)Jamestown (29%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in BuchananFew work in Plain Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 14.9%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 45.2 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.3 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 0.3Lowest 93.3Highest
Schools
School district —PINGREE-BUCHANAN 10
High school in town —None in town
North Dakota 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.

Plain Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Plain Township’s Town Square.

Buchanan neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Buchanan’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Plain Township and Buchanan

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

Bordering Plain Township

Towns like Plain Township

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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