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Windom vs Two Harbors

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

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

Windom$1,110/mo
Typical home $181K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.11% · or rent about $806/mo · Housing →
Two Harbors$1,730/mo
Typical home $296K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.74% · or rent about $1,079/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
WindomTwo Harbors
Snow a year44″61″
January low8°F7°F
July high84°F75°F
Growing season (days)162d145d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)68th6th
Outdoors & history
WindomTwo Harbors
Trails4 mi16 mi
Conserved land5.6%1.3%
Settled18711885
National Register places16
Archive photos—6
Famous people born here—11
Community
WindomTwo Harbors
Library hours a week46 hrs35 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.

Windom ↔ Two Harbors275 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.

WindomTwo Harbors
People
Population 4,799Highest 3,567Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +3.3%Highest MN: +7.6% -3%Lowest MN: +7.6%
Median age 38.9±6.4Lowest about the MN average 41.2±2.4Highest 6% above MN
Two Harbors and Windom are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 23.7%±3.5Highest MN: 22.9% 23.2%±3.9Lowest 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+ 22.9%±3.4Highest MN: 17.3% 19.5%±3.9Lowest 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+ 26%Highest MN: 39.4% 22%Lowest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.6%±0.9Lowest MN: 5.8% 6.2%±2.6Highest MN: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $74,899±$15kHighest 16% below MN $65,625±$7kLowest 26% 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 $169,700±$13kLowest 48% below MN $206,800±$15kHighest 37% below MN
Rentmedian gross, monthly $806±$103Lowest 37% below MN $1,079±$82Highest 16% below MN
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,883Highest 44% below MN $1,524Lowest 55% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 26.8%±9.9Lowest MN: 48.1% 57%±18.4Highest MN: 48.1%
Below poverty line 14.3%Highest MN: 9.3% 11.7%Lowest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 68.5%Highest MN: 72.2% 68.2%Lowest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1967Highest 12 yrs older than MN 1951Lowest 28 yrs older than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 13 minLowest 44% below MN 25 minHighest 11% above MN
Work from home 7.9%±3.4Highest MN: 17.6% 4%±2.1Lowest 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 32.7%Highest 31.3%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.3 miLowest 24.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.12Highest 0.96Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Mountain Lake Township (13%)Duluth (20%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Two HarborsFew work in Windom
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 5.6%Highest 1.3%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 4.4 miLowest 15.9 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.0 miLowest 4.8 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 5 5
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 54.6Highest 53.5Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #176 of 230 in MN#125 of 230 in MN
School district Region 6 and 8-SW/WC Service Coop · Windom Public School DistrictLAKE SUPERIOR PUBLIC SCHOOL DIST.
High school in town Windom Senior HighNone in town
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.

Windom neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Windom’s Town Square.

Two Harbors neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Two Harbors’s Town Square.

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Bordering Windom

Towns like Windom

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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