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Compare towns

Two Harbors vs Windom

275 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (3.6× in Two Harbors) and average commute (13 min in Windom).

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Two Harbors, MNAn outdoors townMinnesota · 3,567 people
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Windom, MNKnown for its schoolsMinnesota · 4,799 people
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.

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.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $620 more a month in Two Harbors

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.

Two Harbors$1,730/mo
Typical home $296K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.74% · or rent about $1,079/mo · Housing →
Windom$1,110/mo
Typical home $181K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.11% · or rent about $806/mo · Housing →

The difference: $620 a month, about $7,400 a year, between Two Harbors and Windom.

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

Windom places higher on 14 of 25 MN lists

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.

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
Two HarborsWindom
Snow a year61″44″
January low7°F8°F
July high75°F84°F
Growing season (days)145d162d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)6th68th
Outdoors & history
Two HarborsWindom
Trails16 mi4 mi
Conserved land1.3%5.6%
Settled18851871
National Register places61
Archive photos12—
Famous people born here11—
Community
Two HarborsWindom
Library hours a week35 hrs46 hrs
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

275 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Two Harbors ↔ Windom275 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.

Two HarborsWindom
People
Population 3,567Lowest 4,799Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -3%Lowest MN: +7.6% +3.3%Highest MN: +7.6%
Median age 41.2±2.4Highest 6% above MN 38.9±6.4Lowest about the MN average
Two Harbors and Windom are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 23.2%±3.9Lowest MN: 22.9% 23.7%±3.5Highest MN: 22.9%
Windom and Two Harbors are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 19.5%±3.9Lowest MN: 17.3% 22.9%±3.4Highest MN: 17.3%
Windom and Two Harbors are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 22%Lowest MN: 39.4% 26%Highest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.2%±2.6Highest MN: 5.8% 1.6%±0.9Lowest MN: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $65,625±$7kLowest 26% below MN $74,899±$15kHighest 16% below MN
Windom and Two Harbors are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $206,800±$15kHighest 37% below MN $169,700±$13kLowest 48% below MN
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,079±$82Highest 16% below MN $806±$103Lowest 37% below MN
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,524Lowest 55% below MN $1,883Highest 44% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 57%±18.4Highest MN: 48.1% 26.8%±9.9Lowest MN: 48.1%
Below poverty line 11.7%Lowest MN: 9.3% 14.3%Highest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 68.2%Lowest MN: 72.2% 68.5%Highest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1951Lowest 28 yrs older than MN 1967Highest 12 yrs older than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 25 minHighest 11% above MN 13 minLowest 44% below MN
Work from home 4%±2.1Lowest MN: 17.6% 7.9%±3.4Highest MN: 17.6%
Windom and Two Harbors are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 31.3%Lowest 32.7%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 24.3 miHighest 8.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.96Lowest 1.12Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Duluth (20%)Mountain Lake Township (13%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in WindomFew work in Two Harbors
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.3%Lowest 5.6%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 15.9 miHighest 4.4 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 4.8 miHighest 1.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 5 5
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 53.5Lowest 54.6Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #125 of 230 in MN#176 of 230 in MN
School district LAKE SUPERIOR PUBLIC SCHOOL DIST.Region 6 and 8-SW/WC Service Coop · Windom Public School District
High school in town None in townWindom Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school — 14.2
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.

Two Harbors neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Two Harbors’s Town Square.

Windom neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Windom’s Town Square.

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Bordering Two Harbors

Towns like Two Harbors

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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