Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment: is Minnesota a good place?
The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best places to live in Minnesota.
Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the North Star State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been helping people find the best places to live in America for years.
So, the question becomes, if you wanted to relocate to the best part of Minnesota, where would you go? To answer that we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 87 counties in the state.
After the analytic dust settled, we identified the 10 best counties to live in North Star State for 2021.
The 10 Best Counties To Live In Minnesota For 2021
Carver County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Minnesota. And you might want to avoid Mahnomen County if you can — at least according to the data.
So if you’re thinking of making the move Minnesota, we’ve got you covered. Keep on reading for a detailed methodology.
Or, check out the best places to live in Minnesota and the cheapest places to live in Minnesota.
The Best Counties To Live In Minnesota For 2021
1. Carver County
Biggest Place: Chaska
Population: 101,949
Median Income: $101,496 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $313,200.0 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.2% (9th best)
More on Carver County: Photos | Data
2. Sherburne County
Biggest Place: St. Cloud
Population: 94,463
Median Income: $89,250 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $230,500.0 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.9% (28th best)
More on Sherburne County: Photos | Data
3. Washington County
Biggest Place: Woodbury
Population: 255,938
Median Income: $96,671 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $289,400.0 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.5% (16th best)
More on Washington County: Photos | Data
4. Wright County
Biggest Place: St. Michael
Population: 134,438
Median Income: $84,974 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $238,500.0 (7th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.7% (2best)
More on Wright County: Photos | Data
5. Dodge County
Biggest Place: Kasson
Population: 20,669
Median Income: $74,575 (12th best)
Median Home Price: $183,900.0 (27th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.6% (20th best)
More on Dodge County: Photos | Data
6. Scott County
Biggest Place: Shakopee
Population: 145,275
Median Income: $102,152 (best)
Median Home Price: $299,700.0 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.0% (37th best)
More on Scott County: Photos | Data
7. Houston County
Biggest Place: La Crescent
Population: 18,648
Median Income: $60,382 (35th best)
Median Home Price: $173,700.0 (33rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.7% (3rd best)
More on Houston County: Photos | Data
8. Chisago County
Biggest Place: North Branch
Population: 55,315
Median Income: $83,464 (7th best)
Median Home Price: $231,500.0 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.6% (53rd best)
More on Chisago County: Photos | Data
9. Brown County
Biggest Place: New Ulm
Population: 25,163
Median Income: $61,120 (32nd best)
Median Home Price: $141,900.0 (57th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.6% (best)
More on Brown County: Photos | Data
10. Lake County
Biggest Place: Two Harbors
Population: 10,560
Median Income: $61,452 (29th best)
Median Home Price: $174,700.0 (3best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.4% (49th best)
More on Lake County: Photos | Data
How do you determine which Minnesota county is the best?
To give you the best county in Minnesota, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we need to make some assumptions about what’s a “best county” and what isn’t. And, for reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, don’t take this analysis to court.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best sources of data on the internet; the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent time period.
We paid particular attention to:
- Violent Crime Rates
- Property Crime Rates
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Unemployment Rates
- Adult Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We then ranked each county in Minnesota across each of the criteria from one to 87, with one being the best.
Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In Minnesota”.
The result is some of the safest, quiet, and best counties to raise a family in the North Star State.
Read on to see why Carver County is the best county, while Mahnomen County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Minnesota.
There You Have It – The Best Counties In Minnesota To Call Home For 2018
It turns out living in Minnesota can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
But now you the know the really good parts and the parts to avoid and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day. And for that, you are welcome.
Here’s a look at the worst counties in Minnesota according to the data:
- Mahnomen County
- Wadena County
- Clearwater County
For more Minnesota reading, check out:
- Richest Cities In Minnesota
- Best Counties To Live In Minnesota
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Minnesota
- Best Places To Buy A House In Minnesota
