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Compare towns

Rush Lake Township vs Harmony

268 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (28.8× in Harmony) and jobs per worker (12.4× in Harmony).

R ×
Rush Lake Township, MNA small town of 940Otter Tail County · 940 people
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Harmony, MNOne of the healthiest townsMinnesota · 1,024 people
Swap order
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.

Rush Lake TownshipA small town of 940
Quiet strengthsRush Lake Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Rush Lake Township →
HarmonyOne of the healthiest towns
Health71% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates Housing$265K typical home24% below the MN typical home All about Harmony →
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.

Street grid28.8×
Harmony has the more walkable street grid
Harmony 72.1Rush Lake Township 2.5
Jobs per worker12.4×
Harmony is more of a job hub
Harmony 1.49Rush Lake Township 0.12
Home values+91%
Homes cost more in Rush Lake Township
Rush Lake Township $325,700Harmony $170,100
Trails4.5×
Rush Lake Township has more miles of trail
Rush Lake Township 1.8 miHarmony 0.4 mi
Seasonal homes+37.5 pts
Rush Lake Township has more second homes
Rush Lake Township 41.7%Harmony 4.2%
Work in town+19 pts
More of Harmony’s workers stay in town
Harmony 19.6%Rush Lake Township 0.6%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $290 more a month in Rush Lake 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.

Rush Lake Township$1,910/mo
Typical home $326K (Census) · tax rate 0.76% · or rent about $619/mo · Housing →
Harmony$1,630/mo
Typical home $265K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.08% · or rent about $742/mo · Housing →

The difference: $290 a month, about $3,400 a year, between Rush Lake Township and Harmony.

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 Minnesota ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
–Rush Lake TownshipNot graded C+HarmonyBetter than 40% of districts in the state
Health
–Rush Lake TownshipNot graded CHarmonyHealthier than 29% of U.S. towns
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
Rush Lake TownshipHarmony
Snow a year46″47″
January low-2°F—
July high79°F—
Growing season (days)141d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)48th38th
Outdoors & history
Rush Lake TownshipHarmony
Trails2 mi0 mi
Conserved land2.2%0%
National Register places—1
Archive photos—6
Community
Rush Lake TownshipHarmony
Library hours a week—38 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

268 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Rush Lake TownshipOtter Tail CountyHarmonyMN
Rush Lake Township ↔ Harmony268 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.

Rush Lake TownshipHarmony
People
Population 940Lowest 1,024Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +6.7%Highest MN: +7.6% +2.3%Lowest MN: +7.6%
Median age 59.3±3.3Highest 53% above MN 58.8±5.8Lowest 52% above MN
Rush Lake Township and Harmony are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 13.1%±4.1Highest MN: 22.9% 12.6%±2.8Lowest MN: 22.9%
Rush Lake Township and Harmony are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 31.1%±3.2Lowest MN: 17.3% 40.1%±4.3Highest MN: 17.3%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 22.6%Highest MN: 39.4% 21.1%Lowest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1%±1.4Lowest MN: 5.8% 1.5%±0.9Highest MN: 5.8%
Harmony and Rush Lake Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $75,000±$11kHighest 16% below MN $68,125±$10kLowest 24% below MN
Rush Lake Township and Harmony are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $325,700±$25kHighest about the MN average $170,100±$19kLowest 48% below MN
Rentmedian gross, monthly $619±$72Lowest 52% below MN $742±$492Highest 42% below MN
Harmony and Rush Lake Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,465Highest 27% below MN $1,832Lowest 45% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 40.7%±33.6Lowest MN: 48.1% 57.7%±40.2Highest MN: 48.1%
Harmony and Rush Lake Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 10.1%Highest MN: 9.3% 8.2%Lowest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 90.2%Highest MN: 72.2% 84.2%Lowest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1984Highest 5 yrs newer than MN 1961Lowest 18 yrs older than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 20 minLowest 11% below MN 22 minHighest 5% below MN
Work from home 12%±4.9Lowest MN: 17.6% 12.5%±6.7Highest MN: 17.6%
Harmony and Rush Lake Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0.6%Lowest 19.6%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 19.3 miLowest 21.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.12Lowest 1.49Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Perham (20%)Rochester (16%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in HarmonyFew work in Rush Lake Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.2%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 1.8 miHighest 0.4 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.4 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 3Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 2.5Lowest 72.1Highest
Schools
School district —FILLMORE CENTRAL
High school in town —Fillmore Central Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school — 12.9
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.

Rush Lake Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Rush Lake Township’s Town Square.

Harmony neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Harmony’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Rush Lake Township

D
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Dead Lake Township624 people · $482K homes
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Otter Tail Township520 people · $448K homes
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Otto Township565 people · $310K homes
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Perham Township1,115 people · $320K homes

Towns like Rush Lake Township

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Nordland Township1,108 people · $303K homes
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Arbo Township959 people · $264K homes
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Holmes City Township670 people · $352K homes
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East Side Township749 people · $243K 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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