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Tower vs Breitung Township

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (20× in Tower) and street grid (7.7× in Tower).

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Tower, MNA regional job hubMinnesota · 367 people
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Breitung Township, MNAn outdoors townSt. Louis County · 651 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.

TowerA regional job hub
Work338 jobsbased in Tower, a regional job hub All about Tower →
Breitung TownshipAn outdoors town
Outdoors20.1% conserved land21 miles of trails across 4 parks and preserves All about Breitung 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.

Jobs per worker20×
Tower is more of a job hub
Tower 2.60Breitung Township 0.13
Street grid7.7×
Tower has the more walkable street grid
Tower 13.1Breitung Township 1.7
Trails7.6×
Breitung Township has more miles of trail
Breitung Township 21.2 miTower 2.8 mi
Home values2.2×
Homes cost more in Breitung Township
Breitung Township $246,200Tower $109,600
Bachelor’s degree++28.3 pts
More adults in Breitung Township have a degree
Breitung Township 40.9%Tower 12.6%
Seasonal homes+25.2 pts
Breitung Township has more second homes
Breitung Township 43.6%Tower 18.4%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $900 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.

Tower$2,310/mo
Typical home $359K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.42% · or rent about $586/mo · Housing →
Breitung Township$1,410/mo
Typical home $246K (Census) · tax rate 0.56% · or rent about $904/mo · Housing →

The difference: $900 a month, about $10,800 a year, between Tower and Breitung Township.

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

Tower and Breitung Township share a border

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

TowerBreitung TownshipTowerBreitung Township
Tower ↔ Breitung Township2.5 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
32 Breitung Township residents work in Tower (17.4% of its workers)
Work & commute in Breitung Township →
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
BTowerBetter than 60% of districts in the state –Breitung TownshipNot graded
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
TowerBreitung Township
Snow a year69″69″
January low-7°F-7°F
July high77°F77°F
Growing season (days)89d89d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)43rd43rd
Outdoors & history
TowerBreitung Township
Trails3 mi21 mi
Conserved land6.4%20.1%
Settled1889—
National Register places22
Archive photos—2
Community
TowerBreitung Township
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.

TowerBreitung Township
People
Population 367Lowest 651Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -14%Lowest MN: +7.6% -12.4%Highest MN: +7.6%
Median age 55.4±9.4Lowest 43% above MN 59.4±6.3Highest 53% above MN
Breitung Township and Tower are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 14.4%±9.2Lowest MN: 22.9% 15.4%±2Highest MN: 22.9%
Breitung Township and Tower are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 28.6%±9.1Lowest MN: 17.3% 36.1%±7Highest MN: 17.3%
Breitung Township and Tower are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 12.6%Lowest MN: 39.4% 40.9%Highest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.3%±3.4Highest MN: 5.8% 0.8%±1.7Lowest MN: 5.8%
Tower and Breitung Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $65,893±$14kLowest 26% below MN $70,893±$29kHighest 20% below MN
Breitung Township and Tower are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $109,600±$27kLowest 67% below MN $246,200±$74kHighest 25% below MN
Rentmedian gross, monthly $586±$36Lowest 54% below MN $904±$751Highest 29% below MN
Breitung Township and Tower are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,555Highest 54% below MN $1,373Lowest 59% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 30.8%±67Lowest MN: 48.1% 33.3%±41Highest MN: 48.1%
Breitung Township and Tower are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 9.8%Lowest MN: 9.3% 10%Highest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 83.4%Lowest MN: 72.2% 87.6%Highest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1957Lowest 22 yrs older than MN 1980Highest 1 yr newer than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 27 minHighest 18% above MN 26 minLowest 16% above MN
Work from home 12.6%±12Lowest MN: 17.6% 25.1%±15.9Highest MN: 17.6%
Breitung Township and Tower are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 15.4%Highest 2.7%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 23.3 miLowest 24.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.60Highest 0.13Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Virginia (16%)Tower (17%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Breitung Township17% work in Tower
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 6.4%Lowest 20.1%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 2.8 miLowest 21.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.0 miHighest 0.5 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 4Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 13.1Highest 1.7Lowest
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.

Tower neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Tower’s Town Square.

Breitung Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Breitung Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Tower and Breitung Township

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

Bordering Tower

K
+ Compare
Kugler Township170 people · $210K homes

Towns like Tower

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Sacred Heart481 people · $86K homes
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Akeley289 people · $111K homes
T
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Toad Lake Township436 people · $199K homes
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Barrett349 people · $132K 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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