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Compare towns

Rushmore vs Verndale

196 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (4.6× in Verndale) and street grid (3× in Rushmore).

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Rushmore, MNA small town of 362Minnesota · 362 people
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Verndale, MNHomes around $255KMinnesota · 452 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.

RushmoreA small town of 362
Quiet strengthsRushmore doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Rushmore →
VerndaleHomes around $255K
Housing$255K typical home27% below the MN typical home SchoolsBetter than 37%of MN districts All about Verndale →
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.

Jobs per worker4.6×
Verndale is more of a job hub
Verndale 0.69Rushmore 0.15
Street grid3×
Rushmore has the more walkable street grid
Rushmore 130Verndale 43.7
Kids under 18+9.1 pts
Rushmore has more kids
Rushmore 32.6%Verndale 23.5%
Average commute6 min
Rushmore has the shorter commute
Verndale 31 minRushmore 25 min
Typical home built12 yrs
Rushmore’s homes are older
Verndale 1957Rushmore 1945
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $890 more a month in Verndale

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.

Rushmore$710/mo
Typical home $115K (Census) · tax rate 1.12% · or rent about $905/mo · Housing →
Verndale$1,600/mo
Typical home $255K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.24% · or rent about $708/mo · Housing →

The difference: $890 a month, about $10,700 a year, between Verndale and Rushmore.

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
–RushmoreNot graded C+VerndaleBetter than 37% of districts in the state
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
RushmoreVerndale
Snow a year45″51″
January low5°F-2°F
July high82°F78°F
Growing season (days)153d141d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)42nd44th
Outdoors & history
RushmoreVerndale
Trails0 mi—
Conserved land0%—
Famous people born here21
Community
RushmoreVerndale
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

196 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

RushmoreMNVerndaleMN
Rushmore ↔ Verndale196 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.

RushmoreVerndale
People
Population 362Lowest 452Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — -15.1% MN: +7.6%
Median age 36±8.8Lowest 7% below MN 36.8±5.9Highest 5% below MN
Verndale and Rushmore are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 32.6%±4.2Highest MN: 22.9% 23.5%±4.7Lowest MN: 22.9%
Age 65+ 16.9%±6.5Lowest MN: 17.3% 19.2%±5.2Highest MN: 17.3%
Verndale and Rushmore are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 8.1%Lowest MN: 39.4% 13.6%Highest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3%±2.3Highest MN: 5.8% 0.4%±2.5Lowest MN: 5.8%
Rushmore and Verndale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $44,375±$19kLowest 50% below MN $49,063±$11kHighest 45% below MN
Verndale and Rushmore are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $114,700±$17kHighest 65% below MN $104,600±$13kLowest 68% below MN
Rushmore and Verndale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $905±$643Highest 29% below MN $708±$108Lowest 45% below MN
Rushmore and Verndale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,279Lowest 62% below MN $1,298Highest 61% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 89.5%±64.5Highest MN: 48.1% 9.1%±79.8Lowest MN: 48.1%
Rushmore and Verndale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 10.5%Lowest MN: 9.3% 16.2%Highest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 84.6%Lowest MN: 72.2% 88.7%Highest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1945Lowest 34 yrs older than MN 1957Highest 22 yrs older than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 25 minLowest 9% above MN 31 minHighest 37% above MN
Work from home 4%±3.9Lowest MN: 17.6% 7%±3.4Highest MN: 17.6%
Verndale and Rushmore are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 2.4%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 17.3 miLowest 24.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.15Lowest 0.69Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Worthington (38%)Wadena (18%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in VerndaleFew work in Rushmore
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 130Highest 43.7Lowest
Schools
School district —VERNDALE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town —Verndale Secondary
Students per teacherat that high school — 12.0
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.

Rushmore neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Rushmore’s Town Square.

Verndale neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Verndale’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Rushmore and Verndale

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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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