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Superior vs Duluth

Next-door neighbors, in two states. The biggest differences: trails (5.4× in Duluth) and home values (+35% in Duluth).

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Superior, WIHomes around $234KWisconsin · 26,677 people
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Duluth, MNA colonial town, settled 1679Minnesota · 87,093 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.

SuperiorHomes around $234K
Housing$234K typical home31% below the WI typical home HistorySettled in 188915 places on the National Register Outdoors#83 most trails in WI32 miles of trails across 26 parks and preserves All about Superior →
DuluthA colonial town, settled 1679
HistorySettled in 167944 places on the National Register Outdoors#9 most trails in MN172 miles of trails across 70 parks and preserves Famous people59 notable peopleborn in Duluth All about Duluth →
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.

Trails5.4×
Duluth has more miles of trail
Duluth 172.4 miSuperior 32.1 mi
Home values+35%
Homes cost more in Duluth
Duluth $242,700Superior $180,400
Work in town+22.5 pts
More of Duluth’s workers stay in town
Duluth 63.2%Superior 40.7%
Size3.3×
Duluth is the bigger place
Duluth 87,093Superior 26,677
Bachelor’s degree++14.9 pts
More adults in Duluth have a degree
Duluth 44%Superior 29.1%
Rent+21%
Rent runs higher in Duluth
Duluth $1,087Superior $900
★ What stands out · Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every state ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
CSuperiorSafer than 30% of U.S. towns C−DuluthSafer than 18% of U.S. towns
Schools
DSuperiorBetter than 7% of districts in the state B−DuluthBetter than 48% of districts in the state
Health
B−SuperiorHealthier than 49% of U.S. towns B+DuluthHealthier than 66% of U.S. towns
Monthly cost

A typical home costs $340 more a month in Duluth

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.

Superior$1,510/mo
Typical home $234K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.47% · or rent about $900/mo · Housing →
Duluth$1,860/mo
Typical home $298K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.19% · or rent about $1,087/mo · Housing →

The difference: $340 a month, about $4,100 a year, between Duluth and Superior.

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

Superior and Duluth share a border

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

SuperiorDuluthSuperiorDuluth
Superior ↔ Duluth6.2 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
3,375 Superior residents work in Duluth (28% of its workers)
1,867 Duluth residents work in Superior (5.5% of its workers)
Work & commute in Superior →
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
SuperiorDuluth
Snow a year56″56″
January low6°F6°F
July high76°F76°F
Growing season (days)154d154d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)42nd28th
Outdoors & history
SuperiorDuluth
Trails32 mi172 mi
Conserved land4%8.6%
Settled18891679
National Register places1544
Archive photos1217
Famous people born here—59
Community
SuperiorDuluth
Library hours a week48 hrs44 hrs
Colleges in town13
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.

SuperiorDuluth
People
Population 26,677Lowest 87,093Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -1.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% +0.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age 39.1±1.1Highest about the U.S. average 35.2±0.7Lowest 10% below U.S.
Kids under 18 19%±1.4Highest U.S.: 22% 17.6%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
Superior and Duluth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 17.9%±1.6Highest U.S.: 17.2% 17.3%±0.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Superior and Duluth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 29.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% 44%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.5%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4% 14.6%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $64,216±$6kLowest 20% below U.S. $68,807±$2kHighest 15% below U.S.
Duluth and Superior are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $180,400±$9kLowest 46% below U.S. $242,700±$5kHighest 27% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $900±$70Lowest 36% below U.S. $1,087±$45Highest 23% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,645Lowest 15% below U.S. $2,885Highest 8% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 42.9%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1% 54%±3.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line 13.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% 16.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 60.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2% 59.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1957Highest 23 yrs older than U.S. 1951Lowest 29 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 16 minLowest 39% below U.S. 17 minHighest 34% below U.S.
Work from home 8.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1% 13.2%±1.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Work in townworking residents 40.7%Lowest 63.2%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 4.3 miLowest 4.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.12Lowest 1.65Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Duluth (28%)Superior (5%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 28% work in Duluth5% work in Superior
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 4%Lowest 8.6%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 32.1 miLowest 172.4 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miLowest 2.2 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 26Lowest 70Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 28.3Lowest 36.3Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #217 of 262 in WI#136 of 230 in MN
School district Superior School DistrictDULUTH PUBLIC SCHOOLS ACADEMY · DULUTH PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town Superior HighEast High School
Students per teacherat that high school 14.8Lowest 20.3Highest
U.S. 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.

Superior neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Superior’s Town Square.

Duluth neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Duluth’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Superior

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Parkland1,464 people · $209K homes
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Superior2,107 people · $299K homes

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Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks towns across the U.S. 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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