Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 373.
31% of residents are under 18 in Bigelow Township, where Minnesota’s towns sit at 23% and U.S. towns at 22%. The biggest park or preserve is James Willey Wildlife Management Area, at 140 acres. Bigelow Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 28 in 1880, 227 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2013 and 3 maps from 1960 on.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Bigelow Township, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Bigelow Township.
The top destinations are Worthington (31%), Brewster (9%) and Ellsworth (8%). Most working residents leave Bigelow Township for work: only 2% work in town. Also worth knowing: in Bigelow Township, the mean commuting time is 16 minutes. For half of commuters, work is under 15 miles away.
| Bigelow Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.8% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $94,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The July high for Bigelow Township comes to 83°F, close to Minnesota’s towns (82°F) and below U.S. towns (85°F).
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
In Bigelow Township, the median age is 37 years. Among adults 25 and older, 31% have a four-year degree or more, against 39% across Minnesota. For residents in the town, the share who are 65 or older is 20%.
| Bigelow Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 37 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 18% | 18% |
Somewhere between 32% and 55% women
The Census survey reached too few of Bigelow Township’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±11.3 points. Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Bigelow Township | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 18.6% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.2% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 6.6% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.6% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.4% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.5% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.1% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.9% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.9% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.5% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 21.9% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.9% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 400, single groups can be off by several points
Bigelow Township: 14% of adults report frequent physical distress. Only 2 of the 272 Minnesota towns we compare have a higher share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Bigelow Township. In Bigelow Township, just over a fifth of adults worry about having enough food, and 73% had a checkup this year. Against the Minnesota average, Bigelow Township comes out ahead on 1 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 16.
| Bigelow Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 7.3% | 8.1% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 23% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 11% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 75% | 79% |
| What stands out | Bigelow Township | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.6% | 8.5% |
| More uninsured adults | 17.8% | 7.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 60% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in Bigelow Township, 34% come from inland flooding and 24% from hail. Federal aid has come to Bigelow Township households in 7 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Trails total 0.4 miles in 10 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. James Willey Wildlife Management Area | — | 140 |
| 2. John Erickson State Wildlife Management Area | — | 121 |
| 3. Peterson Wildlife Management Area, Southeast Unit | — | 111 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Bigelow Township; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Bigelow Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Minnesota.
Where Bigelow Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Minnesota, United States
Bigelow is a city in Nobles County, Minnesota, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bigelow had a population of 227.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bigelow Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.