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Preble Township vs Rost Township

174 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (5.5× in Preble Township) and jobs per worker (3.9× in Rost Township).

P ×
Preble Township, MNA small town of 198Fillmore County · 198 people
R ×
Rost Township, MNA small town of 205Jackson County · 205 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.

Preble TownshipA small town of 198
Quiet strengthsPreble Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Preble Township →
Rost TownshipA small town of 205
Quiet strengthsRost Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Rost Township →
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.

Trails5.5×
Preble Township has more miles of trail
Preble Township 3.3 miRost Township 0.6 mi
Jobs per worker3.9×
Rost Township is more of a job hub
Rost Township 0.27Preble Township 0.07
Seasonal homes+28 pts
Preble Township has more second homes
Preble Township 28%Rost Township 0%
Typical home built28 yrs
Rost Township’s homes are older
Preble Township 1973Rost Township 1945
Average commute9 min
Rost Township has the shorter commute
Preble Township 36 minRost Township 28 min
Street grid+50%
Rost Township has the more walkable street grid
Rost Township 0.9Preble Township 0.6
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $230 more a month in Preble 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.

Preble Township$1,600/mo
Typical home $280K (Census) · tax rate 0.56% · Housing →
Rost Township$1,370/mo
Typical home $238K (Census) · tax rate 0.62% · or rent about $675/mo · Housing →

The difference: $230 a month, about $2,800 a year, between Preble Township and Rost Township.

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
Preble TownshipRost Township
Snow a year45″49″
January low8°F5°F
July high81°F81°F
Growing season (days)165d153d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)80th67th
Outdoors & history
Preble TownshipRost Township
Trails3 mi—
Conserved land7.1%—
Settled1858—
Famous people born here1—
Community
Preble TownshipRost Township
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

174 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Preble TownshipFillmore CountyRost TownshipJackson County
Preble Township ↔ Rost Township174 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.

Preble TownshipRost Township
People
Population 198Lowest 205Highest
Median age 34±8.7Lowest 12% below MN 35.4±13Highest 9% below MN
Rost Township and Preble Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 34.3%±5.2Highest MN: 22.9% 29.8%±6.1Lowest MN: 22.9%
Preble Township and Rost Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 21.7%±9.5Highest MN: 17.3% 18.5%±10.5Lowest MN: 17.3%
Preble Township and Rost Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 13.7%Lowest MN: 39.4% 18.4%Highest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3%±5.6Highest MN: 5.8% 2%±5.2Lowest MN: 5.8%
Preble Township and Rost Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $77,500±$9kLowest 13% below MN $85,938±$41kHighest 4% below MN
Rost Township and Preble Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $280,000±$89kHighest 15% below MN $237,500±$41kLowest 28% below MN
Preble Township and Rost Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $675±$525 47% below MN
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,563Highest 53% below MN $1,475Lowest 56% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100Lowest MN: 48.1% 25%±100Highest MN: 48.1%
Rost Township and Preble Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 20.2%Highest MN: 9.3% 2%Lowest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 85.3%Lowest MN: 72.2% 88.7%Highest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1973Highest 6 yrs older than MN 1945Lowest 34 yrs older than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 36 minHighest 59% above MN 28 minLowest 22% above MN
Work from home 18.8%±6.8Highest MN: 17.6% 17.8%±9.3Lowest MN: 17.6%
Preble Township and Rost Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 1.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 24.3 miHighest 18.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.07Lowest 0.27Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Rochester (13%)Worthington (24%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Rost TownshipFew work in Preble Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 7.1%Highest 0.8%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 3.3 miHighest 0.6 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 0.6Lowest 0.9Highest
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.

Preble Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Preble Township’s Town Square.

Rost Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Rost Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Preble Township

A
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Amherst Township400 people · $393K homes
B
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Black Hammer Township269 people · $225K homes
N
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Newburg Township381 people · $199K homes
N
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Norway Township365 people · $320K homes

Towns like Preble Township

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Gilman233 people · $234K homes
A
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Arrowhead Township211 people · $210K homes
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Sobieski192 people · $191K homes
A
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Ashley Township227 people · $331K homes

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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