Palmer TownshipMN
A town of 2,633.
Is Palmer Township a good place to live?
0% of its land is conserved. Overall it grades B−, 222nd of 271 graded towns in Minnesota. The median household earns $121K. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 84% of U.S. towns. Among 273 Minnesota towns, just 8 have a higher share of households owning their home than Palmer Township. Palmer Township's schools rank behind 69% of the state's.
98% of working residents leave Palmer Township for work
Where Palmer Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Palmer Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Palmer Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Palmer Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Palmer 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Palmer Township.
Palmer Township sends most of its workers to St. Cloud and beyond and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Minnesota.
Most working residents commute out of Palmer Township
Palmer Township has 188 jobs for its 1,360 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 33.3 minutes, against 22.7 across Minnesota.
Most working residents leave Palmer Township for work: only 2% work in town. Palmer Township’s average trip to work is 33 minutes, where Minnesota’s towns sit at 23 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. 2.1% of Palmer Township residents live below the poverty line.
| Palmer Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $121,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 2.1% | 7.1% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.7% | 9.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Fewer young adults than Minnesota overall
In the comparison, Palmer Township comes against 39.9 years in Minnesota’s towns and 40.5 years across U.S. towns. Adults 18 to 34 are 12% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 46% of residents (38% statewide). Palmer Township has grown 4.4% since 2020, to 2,633 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Palmer Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 46.1 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 33% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 24% | 23% | 22% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.1 points. Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Palmer Township | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.1% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.5% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.6% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.7% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.9% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.6% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 19.1% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.2% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.1% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.1% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.7% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.5% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.1% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.5% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,600, single groups can be off by several points
In Palmer Township, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
Palmer Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Palmer Township is 81°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Palmer Township is healthier than 57% of U.S. towns
Within Minnesota it is less healthy than 76% of the 271 graded towns: Minnesota sets a high bar. Against the 5,661 U.S. towns with household incomes like Palmer Township’s, it is less healthy than 81%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Palmer Township beats the Minnesota average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 20% of adults binge drink in Palmer Township. Among 271 Minnesota towns, just 7 have a higher share of adults who have obesity than Palmer Township.
| Palmer Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 35% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 75% | 79% |
| What stands out | Palmer Township | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 12.4% | 8.9% |
| More adults with obesity | 40.6% | 33.5% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.9% | 5.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Palmer Township
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 2022, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Palmer Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Everything we know about Palmer Township
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Palmer Township
About 4 of every 100 Palmer Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
About Palmer Township
Township in Minnesota, United States
Palmer Township is a township in Sherburne County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,414 at the 2000 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 37 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,007 ft
Palmer Township’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Palmer Township.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palmer Township | #222 | B− | B | — | C | B |
| St. George Township | — | — | C− | — | A− | B |
| Santiago Township | — | — | B | — | B+ | B+ |
| Haven Township | — | — | B− | — | C− | C |
| Becker Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
St. George Township, Santiago Township and Haven Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Palmer Township, St. George Township, Santiago Township and Haven Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Becker Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Palmer Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Palmer Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Palmer Township, MN a good place to live?
Palmer Township grades B− overall, better than 49% of U.S. towns and #222 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades B for health and C for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Palmer Township, MN expensive?
Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.