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Compare towns

Sanborn vs Tower

284 miles apart. The biggest differences: rent (5.9× in Tower) and jobs per worker (7.9× in Tower).

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Sanborn, MNA small town of 299Minnesota · 299 people
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Tower, MNA regional job hubMinnesota · 367 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.

SanbornA small town of 299
Quiet strengthsSanborn doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Sanborn →
TowerA regional job hub
Work338 jobsbased in Tower, a regional job hub All about Tower →
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.

Rent5.9×
Rent runs higher in Tower
Tower $586Sanborn $99
Jobs per worker7.9×
Tower is more of a job hub
Tower 2.60Sanborn 0.33
Property tax bill2.1×
Tax bills are bigger in Tower
Tower $1,555Sanborn $741
Seasonal homes+16.2 pts
Tower has more second homes
Tower 18.4%Sanborn 2.2%
Street grid+77%
Sanborn has the more walkable street grid
Sanborn 23.2Tower 13.1
Work in town+10.4 pts
More of Tower’s workers stay in town
Tower 15.4%Sanborn 5%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,890 more a month in Tower

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.

Sanborn$420/mo
Typical home $68K (Census) · tax rate 1.09% · or rent about $99/mo · Housing →
Tower$2,310/mo
Typical home $359K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.42% · or rent about $586/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,890 a month, about $22,700 a year, between Tower and Sanborn.

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
–SanbornNot graded BTowerBetter than 60% 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
SanbornTower
Snow a year46″69″
January low5°F-7°F
July high82°F77°F
Growing season (days)152d89d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)27th43rd
Outdoors & history
SanbornTower
Trails—3 mi
Conserved land—6.4%
Settled—1889
National Register places—2
Community
SanbornTower
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

284 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

SanbornMNTowerMN
Sanborn ↔ Tower284 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.

SanbornTower
People
Population 299Lowest 367Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — -14% MN: +7.6%
Median age 54.1±3.7Lowest 39% above MN 55.4±9.4Highest 43% above MN
Tower and Sanborn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 16.1%±4.6Highest MN: 22.9% 14.4%±9.2Lowest MN: 22.9%
Sanborn and Tower are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 27.1%±7Lowest MN: 17.3% 28.6%±9.1Highest MN: 17.3%
Tower and Sanborn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 10.5%Lowest MN: 39.4% 12.6%Highest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.7%±3Highest MN: 5.8% 3.3%±3.4Lowest MN: 5.8%
Sanborn and Tower are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $48,750±$16kLowest 45% below MN $65,893±$14kHighest 26% below MN
Tower and Sanborn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $68,200±$14kLowest 79% below MN $109,600±$27kHighest 67% below MN
Tower and Sanborn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $99Lowest 92% below MN $586±$36Highest 54% below MN
Property taxmedian, yearly $741Lowest 78% below MN $1,555Highest 54% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 14.3%±100Lowest MN: 48.1% 30.8%±67Highest MN: 48.1%
Tower and Sanborn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 15.4%Highest MN: 9.3% 9.8%Lowest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 89.3%Highest MN: 72.2% 83.4%Lowest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1943Lowest 36 yrs older than MN 1957Highest 22 yrs older than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 22 minLowest 5% below MN 27 minHighest 18% above MN
Work from home 6.8%±3.8Lowest MN: 17.6% 12.6%±12Highest MN: 17.6%
Tower and Sanborn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 5%Lowest 15.4%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.8 miLowest 23.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.33Lowest 2.60Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Lamberton (26%)Virginia (16%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in TowerFew work in Sanborn
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 5.4%Lowest 6.4%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 2.8 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 1.0 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 23.2Highest 13.1Lowest
Schools
School district —ST. LOUIS COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT · Vermilion Country School
High school in town —Vermilion Country School
Students per teacherat that high school — 9.3
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.

Sanborn neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sanborn’s Town Square.

Tower neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Tower’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Sanborn and Tower

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

Bordering Sanborn

C
+ Compare
Charlestown Township152 people · $250K homes

Towns like Sanborn

L
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Lismore233 people
+ Compare
Akeley289 people · $111K homes
+ Compare
Lake Wilson237 people · $99K homes
E
+ Compare
Echo197 people · $104K 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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