Businesses on Centerline Road, 2026
Solway Township’s story
127 years in pictures
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2026 and 4 maps from 1953 on.
- 1899Solway Township is settled
Solway TownshipMN
A town of 2,005, settled in 1899.
Population
2,005
2025 Census estimate · −0.4% since 2020
Typical home
$251K
+2.8% in a year
Household income
$101K
median
Median age
41.1
years
Jobs based here
63
A commuter town
Is Solway Township a good place to live?
The best of Solway Township’s subject grades is an A for incomes; the weakest is a D for walkability. Only 6 of Minnesota’s 575 towns score lower on the outdoors. Solway Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 82% of U.S. towns. Solway Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Solway Township stand out
Where Solway Township beats most towns.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Solway Township for work
Where Solway Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
63jobs based in Solway Township
1%of working residents work in town
12 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Solway Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Solway Township is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.2 of 20; 1% of households have no car; 0.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Jobs & incomeAOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 26% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA−Open →SchoolsBeat 70% of Minnesota districts on tests and graduationB+Open →Cost of livingC+Open →HealthCommunity Memorial Hospital 6.8 miles awayBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksD−Open →HistoryCOpen →Civic life1.7 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateSnowy winters, 78° summer afternoons, 90″ of snow–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 41.1; 23% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Solway Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Solway Township, and how to reach them.
PowerLake Country Power18.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet7 providers95% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Solway Township’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Minnesota you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereSt. Louis County AuditorSt. Louis County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2017
ZIP codes55720, 55810, 55779, 5581155720 44% · 55810 37% · 55779 13% · 55811 5%Census 2020
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 Solway Township.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A
A smaller share of working residents work locally in Solway Township than in most of Minnesota or the rest of the country
The median commute is under 12 miles. Since 2013, Solway Township has added 23 jobs, to 63 in 2023. The middle household income for Solway Township comes to $101,000. Among residents here, 4.1% live below the poverty line, below both the Minnesota town median (7%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%).
1%work in town
| Solway Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 0.7% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.1% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 8.3% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $101,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Solway Township1%
Duluth48%
Cloquet12%
Hermantown8%
Superior4%
12 mi
median commute distance
63
jobs based in Solway Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 12% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HousingCost of living grade C+
The typical home in Solway Township is valued at about $251K
Home values are up 2.8% over the year to September 2026. For households in Solway Township, the share who own their home is 92%. Its going rate for rent is $1,531 a month, against $1,196 a month in Minnesota’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns.
$251KZillow home value
| Solway Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 92% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,531 a month | $1,196 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Solway Township$251K
Minnesota$349K
+2.8%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in April
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Low risk in Solway Township, with inland flooding at the top
Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in nearly three quarters of U.S. communities. Flood insurance has paid out on 3 claims in Solway Township since 2009. 82% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by lightning at 6%. Households here have drawn federal disaster aid in 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2023.
26risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingLightningTornadoes
3
paid flood claims since 2009
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
A typical July afternoon in Solway Township is cooler than in the typical Minnesota or U.S. town
Solway Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
90″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter4–22°
Spring27–50°
Summer52–75°
Fall33–52°
Oct 1
typical first frost
May 13
typical last frost
+2.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB
Residents of Solway Township are healthier than 59% of U.S. towns
16% of Solway Township adults smoke cigarettes. In Solway Township, nearly three quarters of adults had a checkup this year, and 35% sleep under 7 hours.
59%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Solway Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 75% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 30% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Minnesota
0 better24 too close to call8 worse
| What stands out | Solway Township | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11.7% | 8.9% |
| More smokers | 16.1% | 13.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 6.4% | 5.4% |
Community Memorial Hospital
6.8 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Nearby attractions
All 15 attractions →Lake Superior Railroad Museum and 8 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Solway Township. Close and well known come first.
13 mi MuseumLake Superior Railroad Museum
13 mi Zoo & aquariumGreat Lakes Aquarium
13 mi MuseumDuluth Depot10 mi Zoo & aquariumLake Superior Zoo
14 mi MuseumFairlawn Mansion
13 mi MuseumLake Superior Maritime Visitor CenterSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Lake Superior Railroad Museum: User resedabear on Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Great Lakes Aquarium: Tmajewski, Public domain · Duluth Depot: Hikki Nagasaki, Public domain · Fairlawn Mansion: Nfarmakes, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center: McGhiever, CC BY-SA 4.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Solway Township
17pages on Solway Township
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
5 within 15 miles of the center of Solway Township
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community CollegeUniversity or college · Public · Cloquet9 mi$6,006 in-state tuitionLake Superior CollegeCommunity college · Public · Duluth10.7 mi$5,785 in-state tuitionThe College of Saint ScholasticaUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Duluth12.4 mi$41,778 tuition
About 3 of every 100 Solway Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
About Solway Township
Township in Minnesota, United States
Solway Township is a township in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,016 at the 2020 census. Solway Township was named after Solway Firth. U.S. Highway 2 and State Highway 194 (MN 194) are two of the main routes in the township. Other routes include Canosia Road (County Road 98), Maple Grove Road (County 6), and Morris Thomas Road (County 56). U.S. Highway 2 runs roughly diagonally throughout Solway Township, in a northwest–southeast direction. MN 194 runs east–west through the northern portion of the township. Morris Thomas Road (County 56) runs east–west through the southern portion of the township. Canosia Road (County 98) runs north–south through the middl…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 36 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,368 ft
Solway Township’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Solway Township.
Grand Lake TownshipThomson TownshipHermantownBrevator TownshipSolway Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solway Township | — | — | C+ | — | B+ | B |
| Grand Lake Township | #247 | C+ | C− | — | B+ | B+ |
| Thomson Township | #81 | A | C | — | A+ | A |
| Hermantown | #190 | B | D | C | A | A |
| Brevator Township | — | — | B+ | — | B | B− |
Solway Township and Brevator Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Solway Township, Grand Lake Township, Thomson Township and Brevator Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Solway Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Solway Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Solway Township, MN expensive?
That is 3.5 years of the area's median household income ($71,769 across the Duluth, 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 C+.