The 10 Best Places To Live In Minnesota For 2024

The 10 Best Places To Live In Minnesota For 2024

More on Mendota Heights: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Mendota Heights, Minnesota, exists as a suburb of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, part of the largest metro complex in the state. That might make the city of 11,642 inhabitants seem like a typical urban expanse. Nope. While it does have many of the amenities of a major metropolitan area, it holds a meaningful connection to nature as well. It also serves as the number 1 top community in Minnesota.

Mendota Heights sits along two major rivers, the Mississippi and the Minnesota. This provides excellent scenic vistas and outdoor activities, whether its hiking on Pike Island or a trip to Fort Snelling State Park.

Still, living in the area gives you an exciting city experience as well. It’s 15 minutes to the center of Minneapolis. And, if you’re looking to see the wider world, it’s just over 5 minutes to the region’s busiest airport.

Given its location, Mendota Heights provides an excellent home base for commuters. As such, you’ll find many wealthy executives (and retired executives) living in the community. That leads to a relatively high median age of 47 and a hefty median income of $129,800.

All that cash floating around contributes to high home prices. The median home value sits at $515,905.

More on Plymouth: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Plymouth is the largest Minneapolis-St. Paul suburb we’ll be covering, with a population of 79,918. We don’t hand out perfect 10/10 SnackAbility scores to just any place. Excellent public schools, low crime, and top-notch amenities all make Plymouth an enviable place to live. There’s so much to do at the French Regional Park that I won’t even try to list all the options, and Millenium Garden has been hailed as Plymouth’s best kept secret.

The poverty level and unemployment rate in Plymouth are both substantially lower than the national average, sitting at 3.6% and 2.1% respectively. Folks are doing pretty well for themselves in Plymouth, with a median household income of $130,131/year.

More on Albertville: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Albertville, located in Wright County, Minnesota, is a fantastic place to live in the state. With a population of 7,883, this city offers a low cost of living and a median home price of $357,047. This makes it one of the best places to live in Minnesota for those seeking affordable housing options.

The city is home to the Albertville Premium Outlets, which offers a wide range of shopping options. Additionally, Albertville has access to beautiful parks and recreational facilities, providing ample opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, and picnicking.

Albertville’s location within the state is highly convenient. It is a Northwest suburb of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, commonly referred to as the “Twin Cities.” This means you can enjoy the benefits of a quieter suburban lifestyle while still having easy access to a larger urban center’s cultural amenities and job opportunities.

More on Minnetonka: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Wrapping up our list of best places to live in Minnesota is Minnetonka, a Twin Cities suburb of 53,529. Minnetonka’s inclusion on this list means that more than half the best places to live in the state are located in Hennepin County. If you’re looking for a more mature community, Minnetonka might be your best bet, because the median age here is 42, the highest on this list. But there’s good news for young people as well because Minnetonka’s school district has a student expenditure about 55% higher than the statewide average. That’s part of the reason why we named Minnetonka one of the best cities for families in Minnesota. All the family-friendly activities available at Purgatory Park is another reason.

Now, at $114,867/year, Minnetonka has the lowest median household income on this list. Seeing as home prices are in the same ballpark as other cities listed here, it makes sense that we named Minnetonka one of the most expensive cities in Minnesota. Don’t let that put you off though; we think Minnetonka is worth every penny.

More on Medina: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

From the very big Plymouth, we turn to the very small Medina, a city of 6,746 and the 5th best place to live in Minnesota. Medina might not be so little for long, though, because it’s added nearly 33% to its population since 2010, making it one of the fastest growing cities in Minnesota. And the newcomers seem to be well-educated because over 30% of Medina’s population has a master’s degree, PhD, or professional degree.

Folks don’t seem to have much trouble getting work in Medina, where the unemployment rate is under 2%. And they’re getting paid well for their time, seeing as Medina has the 2nd highest median household income in Minnesota at $202,153/year. However, you pretty much need to be earning the big bucks to make it in Medina, because the cost of living here is roughly 45% higher than the national average and the highest of anywhere we’re covering on this list.

Some other perks come along with Medina. Like having Baker Park Preserve in your neighborhood for everything from golf to camping to sledding. And you don’t have to worry about getting jumped here, because Medina has the 17th least amount of violent crime in the state. If you do get hurt though, it’s probably no big deal, since 98.1% of residents have health insurance.

More on Chanhassen: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Chanhassen is a Carver County city of 25,868 located about a half-hour outside of Minneapolis. A low poverty level and low unemployment rate create a solid economic foundation for the city. Not to mention that both the median household income and median home price in Chanhassen are in the top ten statewide at $131,633/year and $509,790 respectively. Chanhassen also has the 8th lowest adult high school dropout rate in Minnesota, so the motto “stay in school” is certainly felt deeply here.

It’s easy to stop and smell the flowers in a city as awesome as Chanhassen. Especially when you’ve got the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum right in your neighborhood.

More on Edina: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

We begin our tour of Minnesota’s best of the best with Edina, a suburb of the Twin Cities. Education is taken very seriously in this city of 53,037, with multiple Blue Ribbon award-winning elementary schools and a 7.5/10 average rating on GreatSchools. The graduation rate in Edina is more than 10% higher than the statewide average, so it’s no surprise that the high school dropout rate is one of the lowest in Minnesota. It’s not just the kiddos who love to learn in Edina either; over 30% of adults have at least a master’s degree.

Edina is also the most densely populated city on this list, so you know you’ll never be far from the action here. In fact, Edina residents enjoy the shortest commute of cities we’re covering here at just 20 minutes. The median household income in Edina is $125,506/year and home prices are among the priciest in the state. Meaning you might want a lucrative job lined up before committing to a mortgage.

While Edina often gets overshadowed by the Twin Cities, there’s plenty to do here as well. A local favorite is Centennial Lakes Park, complete with an 18-hole putting course, skating rink, amphitheater, and farmer’s market.

More on Stillwater: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Known as Minnesota’s “birthplace,” Stillwater is the 8 best place to live in the state. Home to 19,316, the city has a median income of 107,986 and median home values of $417,520.

Found within the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metro, Stillwater has an attractive 2.6 unemployment rate, ranking 39th lowest in the state, and a well-educated population where 50% of adults have higher education. Its easy access to highways 36, 95, and 96 along with historic attractions and river activities make Stillwater a prime location.

More on Lakeville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Located about 15 minutes south of Bloomington, Lakeville is the sole representative of Dakota County on this list. Lakeville is the youngest city to make the cut, with a median age of 36. Evidently, young-uns are moving here in droves, because its population has grown by 15% since 2010. Maybe they’re attracted by the high median household income of $129,069/year. Or the fact that Lakeville has the 22nd lowest crime rate in Minnesota. Or maybe they just want to be as close as possible to the Minnesota Zoo.

In any case, Lakeville’s economy can sustain the increased population, because both the poverty level and unemployment rate here are incredibly low.

More on Delano: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Delano is an exceptional place to live in the state. The median home price in Delano is $415,697, which is quite reasonable compared to other areas in the state.

Outdoor enthusiasts will love exploring Delano’s beautiful natural surroundings, including the nearby South Fork of the Crow River. The city also offers numerous parks and recreational facilities for residents to enjoy. Furthermore, Delano is conveniently located on the outskirts of the Twin Cities.

Methodology: How We Calculated The Best Cities To Live In Minnesota

Now that we had our set of the best possible cities, it was time to rank them using Saturday Night Science.

We ranked each place in Minnesota across a number of criteria from one to 145, with one being the best.

We then took the average rank across all criteria, crowning the city posting the lowest overall score, the “Best Place To Live In Minnesota.”

The criteria we looked to determine the best places were:

• Median Home Values
• Median Income
• Population Density (Higher is better)
• Unemployment Rate
• Commute Time
• Crime
• Education Levels
• Health Insurance Coverage
• Poverty rates

Sources of criteria include the New Census Data, FBI Crime Data, and Zillow. We updated this article for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking Minnesota’s best places to live.

If your city or town isn’t among the top 10, jump down to the bottom of the post to see a detailed chart of the best places in Minnesota. Otherwise, buckle up for a ride down good living lane with Mendota Heights at the end of the cul-de-sac.

Best Places To Live In Minnesota Table