Best Places to Live in Minnesota (2012)
Household Income, Educational Attainment, and Property Crime Rates
Among the twenty best places to live in Minnesota, eighteen are suburbs of Minneapolis-St. Paul and two are suburbs of Rochester. By county, nine of the best places to live in Minnesota are located in or partially in Hennepin County, six in Washington County, two in Olmsted County, two in or partially in Carver County, and one each in Dakota and Ramsey Counties.
After reading "Best Places to Live in Minnesota (2012)," return to this link to read "Largest Cities in Minnesota (2012)." A collection of similar articles for the remaining 49 states can be found at these links: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
For the culmination of the 50-state series, read "Best Places to Live in America (2012)."
This article may be updated as new data becomes available.
1. Best Places to Live in Minnesota (2012) - North Oaks, MN (Ramsey County)
Population: 4,523
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $128,009
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 74.6%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.67
Distance to Familiar Cities:
St. Paul, MN: 12 miles S
Minneapolis, MN: 16 miles SW
2. Best Places to Live in Minnesota (2012) - Deephaven, MN (Hennepin County)
Population: 3,786
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $106,589
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 68.1%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.89
Distance to Familiar Cities:
St. Paul, MN: 24 miles E
Minneapolis, MN: 16 miles ENE
3. Best Places to Live in Minnesota (2012) - Medina, MN (Hennepin County)
Population: 4,967
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $130,341
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 55.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 4.03
Distance to Familiar Cities:
St. Paul, MN: 29 miles ESE
Minneapolis, MN: 21 miles ESE
4. Best Places to Live in Minnesota (2012) - Minnetrista, MN (Hennepin County)
Population: 5,855
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $123,812
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 50.4%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.1
Distance to Familiar Cities:
St. Paul, MN: 33 miles E
Minneapolis, MN: 25 miles ENE
5. Best Places to Live in Minnesota (2012) - West Lakeland, MN (Washington County)
Population: 3,796
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $111,018
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 58.8%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.41*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
St. Paul, MN: 17 miles W
Minneapolis, MN: 25 miles W
6. Best Places to Live in Minnesota (2012) - Rochester Township, MN (Olmstead County)
Population: 2,082
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $116,202
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 55.8%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 4.93
Distance to Familiar Cities:
St. Paul, MN: 85 miles NNW
Rochester, MN: 6 miles NNW
7. Best Places to Live in Minnesota (2012) - Cascade Township, MN (Olmsted County)
Population: 2,942
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $104,675
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 57.8%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.05*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
St. Paul, MN: 74 miles NNW
Rochester, MN: 7 miles S
8. Best Places to Live in Minnesota (2012) - Victoria, MN (Carver County)
Population: 6,805
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $96,098
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 57.9%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.62*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
St. Paul, MN: 33 miles ENE
Minneapolis, MN: 26 miles NE
9. Best Places to Live in Minnesota (2012) - Orono, MN (Hennepin County)
Population: 7,786
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $97,453
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 60.1%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.08
Distance to Familiar Cities:
St. Paul, MN: 27 miles E
Minneapolis, MN: 20 miles E
10. Best Places to Live in Minnesota (2012) - Chanhassen, MN (Carver and Hennepin Counties)
Population: 23,288
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $87,385
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 58.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.57*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
St. Paul, MN: 28 miles ENE
Minneapolis, MN: 22 miles NE
11. Best Places to Live in Minnesota (2012) - Grant, MN (Washington County)
Population: 3,995
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $116,807
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 43.7%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.41*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
St. Paul, MN: 18 miles SSW
Minneapolis, MN: 23 miles WSW
12. Best Places to Live in Minnesota (2012) - Shorewood, MN (Hennepin County)
Population: 7,455
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $94,028
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 54.8%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.51*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
St. Paul, MN: 28 miles ENE
Minneapolis, MN: 19 miles NE
13. Best Places to Live in Minnesota (2012) - Eden Prairie, MN (Hennepin County)
Population: 61,283
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $81,368
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 59.9%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.05
Distance to Familiar Cities:
St. Paul, MN: 23 miles NE
Minneapolis, MN: 18 miles NE
14. Best Places to Live in Minnesota (2012) - Stillwater, MN (Washington County)
Population: 2,584
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $95,694
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 49.7%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.52
Distance to Familiar Cities:
St. Paul, MN: 20 miles SW
Minneapolis, MN: 25 miles WSW
15. Best Places to Live in Minnesota (2012) - Afton, MN (Washington County)
Population: 2,838
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $93,602
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 50.1%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.41*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
St. Paul, MN: 20 miles WNW
Minneapolis, MN: 29 miles WNW
16. Best Places to Live in Minnesota (2012) - Mendota Heights, MN (Dakota County)
Population: 11,519
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $89,902
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 56.1%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.25
Distance to Familiar Cities:
St. Paul, MN: 7 miles N
Minneapolis, MN: 11 miles NW
17. Best Places to Live in Minnesota (2012) - Edina, MN (Hennepin County)
Population: 45,569
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $67,381
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 61.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.41
Distance to Familiar Cities:
St. Paul, MN: 17 miles ENE
Minneapolis, MN: 10 miles NNE
18. Best Places to Live in Minnesota (2012) - Mahtomedi, MN (Washington County)
Population: 7,962
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $80,443
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 50.5%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.41*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
St. Paul, MN: 14 miles SW
Minneapolis, MN: 20 miles SW
19. Best Places to Live in Minnesota (2012) - May Township, MN (Washington County)
Population: 2,989
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $86,254
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 46.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.41*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
St. Paul, MN: 28 miles SW
Minneapolis, MN: 33 miles SW
20. Best Places to Live in Minnesota (2012) - Maple Grove, MN (Hennepin County)
Population: 61,293
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $80,896
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 48.3%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.07
Distance to Familiar Cities:
St. Paul, MN: 25 miles SE
Minneapolis, MN: 17 miles SE
*In some cases, municipalities do not report their crime statistics to the FBI or they contract for services with the state or a county law enforcement agency. For those towns, crime rates are extrapolated from municipal, county, state, or contiguous municipality data.
Source(s):
"All Cities in Minnesota," City-Data.com
" American Community Survey ," U.S. Census Bureau
" American Fact Finder ," U.S. Census Bureau
"Uniform Crime Report," Federal Bureau of Investigation
Published by J.C. Grant
A writer interested in education, finance, health, history, law, music, polemics, politics, satire, sports, statistics, travel, and trivia. View profile
9 Comments
Post a CommentDAVID: St. Paul is the place to be, but not the burbs. The city, where we're neighborly and become friends, wave to each other on the way to work, hold block parties year-round inside our houses and outside. KAREN: You've gotta come here in the summer! Usually around mid-90s, humid, and barely lessens up at night. Green everywhere, lots of bikers and joggers, beautiful landscapes of buildings, Mississippi River a big presence, great night life, and healthy!
Having lived in the upper mid-west for some years, at the risk of stirring up a tad of disagreement, I feel that the best places to live in Minnesota or Wisconsin would be Minneapolis and Madison, respectively. Much of the great vastness of the rest is frozen solid for almost half the year and is really not suitable for inhabitation... Just one I-used-to-live-there's opinion.
that's some "median income"... high enough to warm a "well digger's ass" as Whiplash said....LOL
Minnesota's as cold as a well diggers ass. Takes a brave soul to live there willingly, although I am sure it is a beautiful place no doubt.
I was hoping to see Mankato on the list. That's where I would live.
"Edina" is the name of my nephew's wife from Bosnia :) cheers!
Excellent... :o)
My friends lived in Minnesota for a time.....they always talked about having to plug in their car to a heater when they went into a convenience store....didn't want the car motor to freeze. I'm thinking Minnesota might not be for me....lol.
***** Thnx