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Rock Township vs Aetna Township

Next-door neighbors in Pipestone County. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (3.9× in Aetna Township) and property tax bill (+23% in Aetna Township).

R ×
Rock Township, MNA small town of 168Pipestone County · 168 people
A ×
Aetna Township, MNA small town of 161Pipestone County · 161 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.

Rock TownshipA small town of 168
Quiet strengthsRock Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Rock Township →
Aetna TownshipA small town of 161
Quiet strengthsAetna Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Aetna Township →
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 $340 more a month in Rock 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.

Rock Township$1,730/mo
Typical home $308K (Census) · tax rate 0.44% · Housing →
Aetna Township$1,390/mo
Typical home $238K (Census) · tax rate 0.71% · Housing →

The difference: $340 a month, about $4,100 a year, between Rock Township and Aetna 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.

Where they are

Rock Township and Aetna Township share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

Rock TownshipAetna TownshipRock TownshipAetna Township
Rock Township ↔ Aetna Township6.2 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
Who commutes between them
2 Rock Township residents work in Aetna Township (2.7% of its workers)
Work & commute in Rock Township →
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
Rock TownshipAetna Township
Snow a year46″42″
January low4°F—
July high81°F—
Growing season (days)145d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)48th48th
Outdoors & history
Rock TownshipAetna Township
Trails2 mi2 mi
Conserved land3.4%3.1%
Settled18791880
Community
Rock TownshipAetna 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.

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.

Rock TownshipAetna Township
People
Population 168Highest 161Lowest
Median age 43±25Lowest 11% above MN 50.6±3.5Highest 30% above MN
Aetna Township and Rock Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 17.9%±4.3Lowest MN: 22.9% 18%±8.1Highest MN: 22.9%
Aetna Township and Rock Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 26.8%±15.6Lowest MN: 17.3% 30.4%±9.4Highest MN: 17.3%
Aetna Township and Rock Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 17.2%Highest MN: 39.4% 14.5%Lowest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 13.1%±6.4Highest MN: 5.8% 3.7%±6.6Lowest MN: 5.8%
Rock Township and Aetna Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $61,875±$53kHighest 31% below MN $56,250±$25kLowest 37% below MN
Rock Township and Aetna Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $307,900±$48kHighest 6% below MN $238,100±$25kLowest 28% below MN
Rock Township and Aetna Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,361Lowest 59% below MN $1,680Highest 50% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100 MN: 48.1% 0%±100 MN: 48.1%
Below poverty line 12.5%Lowest MN: 9.3% 14.9%Highest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 76%Lowest MN: 72.2% 85.7%Highest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1954Highest 25 yrs older than MN 1950Lowest 29 yrs older than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 21 minLowest 9% below MN 23 minHighest about the MN average
Work from home 20.8%±11.7Highest MN: 17.6% 16.2%±11.4Lowest MN: 17.6%
Rock Township and Aetna Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.4%Highest 0%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 13.3 miLowest 17.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.21Lowest 0.82Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Pipestone (34%)Pipestone (26%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 3% work in Aetna TownshipFew work in Rock Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3.4%Highest 3.1%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 1.5 miLowest 2.0 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.1 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 6Highest 1Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.3Lowest 1.4Highest
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.

Rock Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Rock Township’s Town Square.

Aetna Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Aetna Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Rock Township

Towns like Rock Township

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Minnesota towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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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