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St. Cloud vs Minden Township

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: size (49.5× in St. Cloud) and street grid (16.2× in St. Cloud).

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St. Cloud, MNA college townMinnesota · 70,629 people
M ×
Minden Township, MNA regional job hubBenton County · 1,428 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.

St. CloudA college town
College town3 collegesSaint Cloud State University Health51% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates Housing$258K typical home27% below the MN typical home All about St. Cloud →
Minden TownshipA regional job hub
Work1,630 jobsbased in Minden Township, a regional job hub All about Minden 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.

Size49.5×
St. Cloud is the bigger place
St. Cloud 70,629Minden Township 1,428
Street grid16.2×
St. Cloud has the more walkable street grid
St. Cloud 53.4Minden Township 3.3
Rent+73%
Rent runs higher in Minden Township
Minden Township $1,731St. Cloud $1,003
Work in town+40.8 pts
More of St. Cloud’s workers stay in town
St. Cloud 44%Minden Township 3.2%
Median age19.3 yrs
Minden Township skews older
Minden Township 49.9St. Cloud 30.6
Homeowners+35.2 pts renters
St. Cloud has more renters
Minden Township 83.8%St. Cloud 48.6%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $180 more a month in Minden 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.

St. Cloud$1,570/mo
Typical home $258K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.03% · or rent about $1,003/mo · Housing →
Minden Township$1,750/mo
Typical home $297K (Census) · tax rate 0.79% · or rent about $1,731/mo · Housing →

The difference: $180 a month, about $2,200 a year, between Minden Township and St. Cloud.

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

St. Cloud and Minden Township share a border

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

St. CloudMinden TownshipSt. CloudMinden Township
St. Cloud ↔ Minden Township7.9 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
346 St. Cloud residents work in Minden Township (1.2% of its workers)
269 Minden Township residents work in St. Cloud (37.5% of its workers)
Work & commute in St. Cloud →
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.

Safety
DSt. CloudSafer than 14% of U.S. towns –Minden TownshipNot graded
Schools
C−St. CloudBetter than 23% of districts in the state –Minden TownshipNot graded
Health
B−St. CloudHealthier than 49% of U.S. towns BMinden TownshipHealthier than 61% 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
St. CloudMinden Township
Snow a year48″48″
January low3°F3°F
July high82°F82°F
Growing season (days)144d144d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)52nd25th
Outdoors & history
St. CloudMinden Township
Trails16 mi5 mi
Conserved land5.2%0.1%
Settled1856—
National Register places14—
Community
St. CloudMinden Township
Library hours a week57 hrs—
Colleges in town3—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

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.

St. CloudMinden Township
People
Population 70,629Highest 1,428Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +4.6%Highest MN: +7.6% -9%Lowest MN: +7.6%
Median age 30.6±0.7Lowest 21% below MN 49.9±4.8Highest 29% above MN
Kids under 18 21.9%±1.3Highest MN: 22.9% 16.8%±3.8Lowest MN: 22.9%
St. Cloud and Minden Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 13.3%±0.9Lowest MN: 17.3% 25.1%±3.1Highest MN: 17.3%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 30.4%Highest MN: 39.4% 24.6%Lowest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 13.6%±1.1Highest MN: 5.8% 2.7%±1.6Lowest MN: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $61,374±$4kLowest 31% below MN $76,250±$10kHighest 14% below MN
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $225,000±$7kLowest 32% below MN $297,300±$29kHighest 10% below MN
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,003±$44Lowest 22% below MN $1,731±$52Highest 35% above MN
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,320Lowest 31% below MN $2,347Highest 30% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 47.5%±4.7Highest MN: 48.1% 2.9%±25.2Lowest MN: 48.1%
Below poverty line 20.2%Highest MN: 9.3% 3.2%Lowest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 48.6%Lowest MN: 72.2% 83.8%Highest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1981Highest 2 yrs newer than MN 1976Lowest 3 yrs older than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 20 minLowest 13% below MN 22 minHighest 4% below MN
Work from home 8.5%±1.2Lowest MN: 17.6% 25.8%±10.1Highest MN: 17.6%
Work in townworking residents 44%Highest 3.2%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 4.3 miLowest 8.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.56Lowest 2.27Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Waite Park (8%)St. Cloud (37%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 1% work in Minden Township37% work in St. Cloud
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 5.2%Highest 0.1%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 16.4 miHighest 5.4 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miHighest 0.2 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 47Highest 2Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 53.4Highest 3.3Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #214 of 230 in MN—
School district STRIDE Academy · MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS—
High school in town Technical Senior High—
Students per teacherat that high school 17.9 —
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.

St. Cloud neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Life Along the Mississippi

1 neighbor in St. Cloud can answer.

Minden Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Minden Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering St. Cloud

H
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Haven Township2,164 people · $347K homes
W
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Waite Park8,399 people · $219K homes
L
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Le Sauk Township1,446 people · $296K homes
S
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St. Augusta3,625 people · $388K homes

Towns like St. Cloud

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Mankato45,473 people · $262K homes
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Moorhead45,036 people · $249K homes
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Duluth87,093 people · $243K homes
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Brooklyn Center32,479 people · $274K 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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