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 counties 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 using Saturday Night Science to rank places for years.
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.
Carver County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Minnesota. And you should avoid Mahnomen County if you can — at least according to the data.
$125,946 median income · 3.1% unemployment
$115,345 median income · 3.4% unemployment
$119,314 median income · 3.5% unemployment
$82,007 median income · 2.2% unemployment
$107,209 median income · 2.7% unemployment
$105,466 median income · 3.0% unemployment
$76,220 median income · 1.3% unemployment
$77,546 median income · 1.5% unemployment
$99,400 median income · 4.1% unemployment
$106,318 median income · 3.6% unemployment
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Minnesota’s statewide median.
Minnesota statewide median: $89,062
Minnesota statewide median: $346,668
Minnesota statewide median: 4.1%
On the map
Where Minnesota’s best counties are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: 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 made assumptions about what’s in a “best county” and what isn’t. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best data sources on the internet. Namely, the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent 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, quietest, and best counties to raise a family in the North Star State.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best counties to live in Minnesota.
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.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Minnesota
Click any column to sort. Search by county name.
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carver County | 110,041 | $125,946 | $483,656 |
| 2 | Washington County | 276,238 | $115,345 | $440,692 |
| 3 | Scott County | 154,557 | $119,314 | $441,654 |
| 4 | Wabasha County | 21,565 | $82,007 | $307,048 |
| 5 | Wright County | 148,269 | $107,209 | $388,429 |
| 6 | Sherburne County | 100,560 | $105,466 | $383,718 |
| 7 | Pope County | 11,418 | $76,220 | $328,244 |
| 8 | Lake of the Woods County | 3,821 | $77,546 | $227,172 |
| 9 | Chisago County | 57,991 | $99,400 | $378,343 |
| 10 | Dakota County | 445,771 | $106,318 | $395,252 |
| 11 | Houston County | 18,653 | $79,825 | $317,202 |
| 12 | Nicollet County | 34,411 | $79,756 | $310,840 |
| 13 | Douglas County | 39,575 | $79,043 | $337,107 |
| 14 | Steele County | 37,439 | $84,196 | $292,374 |
| 15 | Anoka County | 370,349 | $101,869 | $367,949 |
| 16 | Dodge County | 21,045 | $95,739 | $322,431 |
| 17 | Olmsted County | 164,498 | $95,406 | $347,633 |
| 18 | Red Lake County | 3,915 | $77,188 | $211,300 |
| 19 | Jackson County | 9,933 | $75,743 | $221,300 |
| 20 | Le Sueur County | 29,113 | $94,968 | $351,273 |
| 21 | Waseca County | 18,885 | $76,261 | $249,600 |
| 22 | Cook County | 5,635 | $72,638 | $423,366 |
| 23 | Isanti County | 42,596 | $87,440 | $334,413 |
| 24 | Lac qui Parle County | 6,682 | $74,432 | $165,912 |
| 25 | Hennepin County | 1,269,496 | $97,653 | $387,852 |
| 26 | Lake County | 10,879 | $75,541 | $272,294 |
| 27 | Sibley County | 15,005 | $77,634 | $282,130 |
| 28 | Clay County | 66,059 | $81,172 | $294,253 |
| 29 | Fillmore County | 21,414 | $77,512 | $280,107 |
| 30 | McLeod County | 36,798 | $80,084 | $291,893 |
| 30 | Benton County | 41,593 | $74,410 | $303,855 |
| 32 | Yellow Medicine County | 9,451 | $74,000 | $169,366 |
| 33 | Goodhue County | 47,943 | $84,171 | $322,013 |
| 34 | Kittson County | 4,084 | $76,100 | $166,136 |
| 35 | Meeker County | 23,468 | $75,446 | $286,407 |
| 36 | Crow Wing County | 67,686 | $72,589 | $362,465 |
| 37 | Grant County | 6,127 | $73,917 | $229,859 |
| 38 | Pennington County | 13,791 | $77,325 | $190,508 |
| 39 | Rice County | 67,917 | $83,181 | $344,690 |
| 40 | Big Stone County | 5,127 | $70,400 | $193,279 |
| 41 | Murray County | 8,097 | $74,033 | $243,556 |
| 42 | Rock County | 9,621 | $71,295 | $265,356 |
| 42 | Brown County | 25,800 | $69,378 | $241,191 |
| 44 | Otter Tail County | 60,475 | $72,255 | $323,150 |
| 45 | Roseau County | 15,302 | $74,474 | $218,852 |
| 46 | Carlton County | 36,518 | $80,573 | $292,856 |
| 47 | Winona County | 49,779 | $70,744 | $273,188 |
| 48 | Marshall County | 8,909 | $72,543 | $207,228 |
| 49 | Stevens County | 9,739 | $75,733 | $209,675 |
| 50 | Hubbard County | 21,831 | $71,995 | $312,005 |
| 52 | Stearns County | 160,865 | $77,066 | $312,502 |
| 52 | Morrison County | 34,249 | $69,446 | $303,389 |
| 52 | Mille Lacs County | 27,125 | $72,729 | $306,036 |
| 52 | Kandiyohi County | 44,079 | $76,592 | $275,544 |
| 55 | Blue Earth County | 69,871 | $74,477 | $300,117 |
| 56 | Renville County | 14,558 | $70,625 | $189,697 |
| 57 | Lyon County | 25,503 | $75,303 | $214,038 |
| 58 | Becker County | 35,343 | $71,388 | $347,852 |
| 59 | Martin County | 19,780 | $59,507 | $214,071 |
| 60 | Ramsey County | 542,945 | $81,568 | $336,494 |
| 61 | Lincoln County | 5,603 | $69,694 | $198,583 |
| 62 | Kanabec County | 16,390 | $71,460 | $265,306 |
| 63 | Wilkin County | 6,371 | $71,410 | $216,759 |
| 64 | Polk County | 30,705 | $73,107 | $244,862 |
| 64 | Traverse County | 3,243 | $62,989 | $147,483 |
| 66 | St. Louis County | 200,123 | $70,069 | $233,077 |
| 67 | Pipestone County | 9,284 | $69,628 | $193,590 |
| 68 | Itasca County | 45,275 | $68,603 | $241,942 |
| 69 | Cass County | 30,992 | $68,874 | $334,055 |
| 70 | Cottonwood County | 11,458 | $72,941 | $160,480 |
| 71 | Aitkin County | 16,056 | $60,833 | $268,116 |
| 72 | Mower County | 40,343 | $73,074 | $199,052 |
| 73 | Pine County | 29,640 | $71,146 | $253,269 |
| 74 | Redwood County | 15,350 | $67,866 | $178,762 |
| 75 | Faribault County | 13,914 | $66,815 | $158,994 |
| 76 | Norman County | 6,367 | $72,260 | $172,481 |
| 77 | Todd County | 25,575 | $67,662 | $259,272 |
| 78 | Swift County | 9,748 | $60,412 | $188,707 |
| 79 | Koochiching County | 11,833 | $66,940 | $154,275 |
| 80 | Freeborn County | 30,623 | $71,023 | $191,496 |
| 81 | Chippewa County | 12,377 | $71,458 | $220,853 |
| 82 | Beltrami County | 46,512 | $68,975 | $261,029 |
| 83 | Wadena County | 14,256 | $61,467 | $223,829 |
| 84 | Nobles County | 22,041 | $66,101 | $235,209 |
| 85 | Clearwater County | 8,616 | $64,475 | $246,480 |
| 86 | Watonwan County | 11,205 | $71,699 | $171,372 |
| 87 | Mahnomen County | 5,358 | $59,441 | $179,668 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS + FBI crime data via Saturday Night Science. All 87 Minnesota counties.
Summary
Summary: The Best Counties In Minnesota To Call Home For 2026
Living in Minnesota can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
The best counties in Minnesota are Carver County, Washington County, Scott County, Wabasha County, Wright County, Sherburne County, Pope County, Lake of the Woods County, Chisago County, and Dakota County.
But now you know the outstanding parts and the parts to avoid, and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome. Not sold on Minnesota? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Counties In Minnesota FAQs
What is the best county to live in Minnesota?
Carver County is the best county to live in Minnesota for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Washington County and Scott County are next.
What are the best counties in Minnesota?
The best counties to live in Minnesota are Carver County, Washington County, Scott County, Wabasha County, Wright County, Sherburne County, Pope County, Lake of the Woods County, Chisago County, and Dakota County. We ranked all 87 Minnesota counties.
How do you rank the best counties?
Counties are scored on crime, home values, income, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey and FBI data. The county with the best average across all seven, Carver County, wins.
How expensive is it to live in Carver County?
The median household income in Carver County is $125,946 and the median home costs $483,656. Statewide, the typical Minnesota home runs $346,668.
Which county in Minnesota should you think twice about?
Mahnomen County lands at the bottom of the quality-of-life ranking for Minnesota. People make good lives there anyway; the numbers just say it is the toughest of the 87 counties.
