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Union Township vs Fairfield Township

Next-door neighbors in Grand Forks County. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (12.2× in Union Township) and trails (5.5× in Fairfield Township).

U ×
Union Township, NDA small town of 143Grand Forks County · 143 people
F ×
Fairfield Township, NDA small town of 280Grand Forks County · 280 people
Swap order
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.

Union TownshipA small town of 143
Quiet strengthsUnion Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Union Township →
Fairfield TownshipA small town of 280
Quiet strengthsFairfield Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Fairfield 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 worker12.2×
Union Township is more of a job hub
Union Township 0.73Fairfield Township 0.06
Trails5.5×
Fairfield Township has more miles of trail
Fairfield Township 13.1 miUnion Township 2.4 mi
Property tax bill+40%
Tax bills are bigger in Fairfield Township
Fairfield Township $1,727Union Township $1,235
Typical home built31 yrs
Fairfield Township’s homes are older
Union Township 1969Fairfield Township 1938
Average commute6 min
Fairfield Township has the shorter commute
Union Township 30 minFairfield Township 24 min
Street grid+43%
Union Township has the more walkable street grid
Union Township 1.0Fairfield Township 0.7
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $800 more a month in Fairfield 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.

Union Township$1,040/mo
Typical home $179K (Census) · tax rate 0.69% · Housing →
Fairfield Township$1,840/mo
Typical home $324K (Census) · tax rate 0.53% · Housing →

The difference: $800 a month, about $9,600 a year, between Fairfield Township and Union 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

Union Township and Fairfield Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Union TownshipFairfield TownshipUnion TownshipFairfield Township
Union Township ↔ Fairfield Township6.5 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
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
Union TownshipFairfield Township
Snow a year49″48″
January low-1°F-3°F
July high80°F81°F
Growing season (days)144d133d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)47th47th
Outdoors & history
Union TownshipFairfield Township
Trails2 mi13 mi
Conserved land0%3.5%
Archive photos1—
Community
Union TownshipFairfield 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.

Union TownshipFairfield Township
People
Population 143Lowest 280Highest
Median age 43.3±18.2Lowest 21% above ND 64.1±7.4Highest 79% above ND
Fairfield Township and Union Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 28.7%±14.5Highest ND: 23.5% 10%±8.4Lowest ND: 23.5%
Union Township and Fairfield Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 23.1%±17.9Highest ND: 16.5% 6.1%±9.9Lowest ND: 16.5%
Union Township and Fairfield Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 35.4%Highest ND: 32.7% 33.3%Lowest ND: 32.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.1%±7.5Highest ND: 7.6% 0.7%±3.8Lowest ND: 7.6%
Union Township and Fairfield Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $89,750±$67kHighest 17% above ND $88,333±$13kLowest 15% above ND
Union Township and Fairfield Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $179,200±$79kLowest 28% below ND $324,300±$70kHighest 30% above ND
Fairfield Township and Union Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,235Lowest 50% below ND $1,727Highest 30% below ND
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 100%±100 ND: 38.9% —
Below poverty line 2.1%Lowest ND: 10.8% 4.3%Highest ND: 10.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 89.8%Lowest ND: 62.9% 95.3%Highest ND: 62.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1969Highest 13 yrs older than ND 1938Lowest 44 yrs older than ND
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 30 minHighest 68% above ND 24 minLowest 35% above ND
Work from home 0%±11.8Lowest ND: 8.1% 7.6%±9.3Highest ND: 8.1%
Fairfield Township and Union Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0% 0%
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 17.8 miHighest 14.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.73Highest 0.06Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Grand Forks (65%)Grand Forks (63%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Fairfield TownshipFew work in Union Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 3.5%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 2.4 miLowest 13.1 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.4 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.0Highest 0.7Lowest
North Dakota 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.

Union Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Union Township’s Town Square.

Fairfield Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Fairfield Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Union Township and Fairfield Township

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

Bordering Union Township

M
+ Compare
Michigan Township209 people · $268K homes
W
+ Compare
Washington Township111 people · $317K homes

Towns like Union Township

+ Compare
Buffalo180 people · $180K homes
A
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Advance Township200 people · $200K homes
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Taylor179 people · $222K homes
B
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Blooming Township235 people · $269K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks North Dakota towns 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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