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Wadena vs Leaf River Township

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (47.6× in Wadena) and jobs per worker (7.5× in Wadena).

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Wadena, MNHomes around $213KMinnesota · 4,419 people
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Leaf River Township, MNA small town of 804Wadena County · 804 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.

Leaf River TownshipA small town of 804
Quiet strengthsLeaf River Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Leaf River 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.

★ What stands out · Where they are

Wadena and Leaf River Township share a border

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

WadenaLeaf River TownshipWadenaLeaf River Township
Wadena ↔ Leaf River Township4.0 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
49 Leaf River Township residents work in Wadena (24.5% of its workers)
Work & commute in Leaf River Township →
Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

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.

Wadena$1,280/mo
Typical home $213K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.93% · or rent about $684/mo · Housing →
Leaf River Township$1,370/mo
Typical home $221K (Census) · tax rate 1.16% · or rent about $1,335/mo · Housing →

The difference: $90 a month, about $1,100 a year, between Leaf River Township and Wadena.

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

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.

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
WadenaLeaf River Township
Snow a year51″51″
January low-2°F-2°F
July high78°F78°F
Growing season (days)141d141d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)12th44th
Outdoors & history
WadenaLeaf River Township
Trails5 mi4 mi
Conserved land2.8%0.4%
Settled1881—
National Register places3—
Archive photos12—
Famous people born here8—
Community
WadenaLeaf River Township
Library hours a week38 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.

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.

WadenaLeaf River Township
People
Population 4,419Highest 804Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +5.8%Highest MN: +7.6% -10.9%Lowest MN: +7.6%
Median age 39.2±2.3 about the MN average 39.2±3.4 about the MN average
Kids under 18 27%±5.4Highest MN: 22.9% 19.9%±4.3Lowest MN: 22.9%
Wadena and Leaf River Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 18.2%±4Highest MN: 17.3% 14.3%±1.2Lowest MN: 17.3%
Wadena and Leaf River Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 17.6%Highest MN: 39.4% 13.5%Lowest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.1%±2.4Lowest MN: 5.8% 4.4%±5.2Highest MN: 5.8%
Leaf River Township and Wadena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $56,080±$9kLowest 37% below MN $86,161±$9kHighest 3% below MN
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $160,800±$7kLowest 51% below MN $220,800±$46kHighest 33% below MN
Rentmedian gross, monthly $684±$105Lowest 47% below MN $1,335±$133Highest 4% above MN
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,493Lowest 56% below MN $2,556Highest 24% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 41.6%±13.6Highest MN: 48.1% 5.4%±20.4Lowest MN: 48.1%
Below poverty line 17.7%Highest MN: 9.3% 10.9%Lowest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 58.1%Lowest MN: 72.2% 77.6%Highest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1964Lowest 15 yrs older than MN 1975Highest 4 yrs older than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 15 minLowest 33% below MN 27 minHighest 19% above MN
Work from home 5%±4.7Highest MN: 17.6% 2.9%±3Lowest MN: 17.6%
Wadena and Leaf River Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 37.8%Highest 1.5%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.3 miLowest 18.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.72Highest 0.23Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Perham (7%)Wadena (25%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Leaf River Township25% work in Wadena
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.8%Highest 0.4%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 4.7 miHighest 3.7 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.9 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 5Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 52.4Highest 1.1Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #205 of 230 in MN—
School district Freshwater Education District · WADENA-DEER CREEK SCHOOL DISTRICT—
High school in town Wadena-Deer Creek Senior High—
Students per teacherat that high school 19.7 —
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.

Wadena neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Wadena’s Town Square.

Leaf River Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Leaf River Township’s Town Square.

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Bordering Wadena

Towns like Wadena

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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