Best places to live in Minnesota
2 Minnesota metros scored on the default family weighting — schools and safety heaviest, then affordability, climate, college pipeline and jobs. Change the weights on the ranking engine to see your own order.
Who lives in Minnesota
Population-weighted racial and ethnic composition across the 2 tracked Minnesota metros, from Census ACS table B03002.
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 71.9%
- Hispanic or Latino
- 6.7%
- Black (non-Hispanic)
- 8.9%
- Asian (non-Hispanic)
- 6.8%
- Other or two or more
- 5.7%
Diversity index 58/100 — how evenly the population is spread across these groups. It is descriptive, not a judgement: weight it up, down or to zero on the ranking engine.
| # | Metro | Score | US rank | Typical home | Schools | Safety | Climate | Diversity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minneapolis-St Paul | 59.8 | #15 of 103 | $395k | 70 | 64 | 9° / 83° | 59 |
| 2 | Rochester | 54.0 | #41 of 103 | $345k | 65 | 64 | 7° / 81° | 44 |
Figures are compiled estimates. Methodology and sources.