There’s no denying it: there are plenty of places in Minnesota that are downright beautiful and full of excitement.
Unfortunately, not all towns and cities in North Star State are so lucky.
Just like in all U.S. States, there are definitely some boring places within Minnesota’s’ borders. You know the places where everyone has an AARP card and the most exciting thing they do all day is post a picture of their grandchild on Facebook.
Like Corcoran, for instance. In our latest analysis, we found that this city was the most boring city in all of Minnesota according to Saturday Night Science. But don’t feel bad if you’re a resident of Corcoran. There are plenty of other boring, lackluster places in Minnesota as well.
Here they are. Try not to jump out of your seat with excitement.
41.9 median age · 44.0% married households · #29 oldest in Minnesota
Located in
Hennepin County, Minnesota
Corcoran is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,379 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
44.5 median age · 47.0% married households · #10 oldest in Minnesota
Located in
Anoka County, Minnesota
Oak Grove is a city in Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. It is north of Minneapolis. The population was 8,031 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
43.8 median age · 47.0% married households · #14 oldest in Minnesota
Located in
Anoka County, Minnesota
Ham Lake is a city in Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 15,296 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
40.9 median age · 45.0% married households · #43 oldest in Minnesota
Located in
Anoka County, Minnesota
East Bethel is a city in Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 11,626 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
40.8 median age · 43.0% married households · #46 oldest in Minnesota
Located in
Hennepin County, Minnesota
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
43.1 median age · 41.0% married households · #20 oldest in Minnesota
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
40.8 median age · 42.0% married households · #46 oldest in Minnesota
Located in
Washington County, Minnesota
Lake Elmo is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 8,069 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
40.2 median age · 44.0% married households · #56 oldest in Minnesota
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
46.6 median age · 36.0% married households · #6 oldest in Minnesota
Located in
Hennepin County, Minnesota
Orono is a city on the northern shores of Lake Minnetonka in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 7,437 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
41.5 median age · 41.0% married households · #36 oldest in Minnesota
Located in
Anoka County, Minnesota
Lino Lakes is a city in Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 20,216 at the 2010 census. Interstates 35W and 35E are two of the main routes in the community. It is an outer suburb north of the Twin Cities.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Minnesota’s statewide median.
On the map
Where the quiet settles in Minnesota
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the boring cities in the North Star State
You would present the following case to your friends if you were argueing with them at a bar about the most boring place to live in Minnesota. And that’s why we call it Saturday Night Science.
Because our data speaks more truth than feelings.
To figure out how boring a place is, we factored in things we generally think make people exciting, and then we figure out which cities have the least number of those exciting people.
We used the U.S. American Community Census data to gather the information presented here. Some of the things people tend to think of as making a city’s population boring include:
- % of Population Over 25 (higher is more boring)
- % of Married Household (higher is more boring)
- Average Age (higher is more boring)
- % of Households With Kids (higher is more boring)
- Population density (lower is more boring)
Then, our algorithm generates a ranking for each place in these categories. After crunching the numbers, all of the cities ranked from most boring to most exciting.
For this ranking, we used every Minnesota city with at least 5,000 residents. This keeps us from prejudicing our rankings by including very small pockets of retired people.
Grab your rocker and hold on.
We updated this article for 2026, and it’s our eleventh time ranking the most boring cities in Minnesota.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Most Boring Cities In Minnesota For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Boring Score | Population | Average Age | % Married | % Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corcoran | 17.80 | 7,302 | 41.9 | 44.0% | 35.2% |
| 2 | Oak Grove | 26.30 | 9,130 | 44.5 | 47.0% | 30.8% |
| 3 | Ham Lake | 29.30 | 16,702 | 43.8 | 47.0% | 33.4% |
| 4 | East Bethel | 31.40 | 12,115 | 40.9 | 45.0% | 29.4% |
| 5 | Minnetrista | 33.30 | 8,708 | 40.8 | 43.0% | 44.5% |
| 6 | North Oaks | 34.30 | 5,179 | 43.1 | 41.0% | 42.7% |
| 7 | Lake Elmo | 35.30 | 13,140 | 40.8 | 42.0% | 40.0% |
| 8 | Dayton | 35.70 | 9,095 | 40.2 | 44.0% | 37.0% |
| 9 | Orono | 36.50 | 8,195 | 46.6 | 36.0% | 33.5% |
| 10 | Lino Lakes | 36.50 | 22,113 | 41.5 | 41.0% | 32.8% |
| 11 | Grand Rapids | 39.20 | 11,207 | 44.3 | 37.0% | 25.2% |
| 12 | Victoria | 39.50 | 11,295 | 41.2 | 37.0% | 42.1% |
| 13 | Shorewood | 42.30 | 7,647 | 48.3 | 31.0% | 34.2% |
| 14 | Hugo | 43.70 | 16,340 | 40.1 | 43.0% | 32.9% |
| 15 | Medina | 44.70 | 6,968 | 40.7 | 35.0% | 49.1% |
| 16 | Hibbing | 44.80 | 16,057 | 45.7 | 32.0% | 19.2% |
| 17 | Andover | 44.80 | 33,035 | 39.6 | 42.0% | 40.0% |
| 18 | North Branch | 44.90 | 11,565 | 39.5 | 36.0% | 30.1% |
| 19 | Baxter | 45.90 | 8,966 | 43.1 | 32.0% | 26.8% |
| 20 | Mendota Heights | 46.70 | 11,612 | 47.0 | 35.0% | 26.6% |
| 21 | Fairmont | 47.30 | 10,296 | 46.6 | 34.0% | 22.7% |
| 22 | Inver Grove Heights | 49.00 | 35,906 | 41.6 | 32.0% | 29.3% |
| 23 | Redwood Falls | 50.50 | 5,068 | 43.2 | 36.0% | 26.5% |
| 24 | Wyoming | 51.10 | 8,087 | 39.0 | 40.0% | 34.9% |
| 25 | Elk River | 51.10 | 26,793 | 37.2 | 36.0% | 37.4% |
| 26 | Hermantown | 52.00 | 10,218 | 38.7 | 40.0% | 33.5% |
| 27 | St. Michael | 52.60 | 20,010 | 37.6 | 38.0% | 43.7% |
| 28 | St. Francis | 54.70 | 8,372 | 35.2 | 44.0% | 41.1% |
| 29 | Forest Lake | 55.80 | 20,729 | 39.6 | 35.0% | 30.2% |
| 30 | Carver | 56.10 | 6,239 | 38.3 | 38.0% | 47.8% |
| 31 | Ramsey | 56.30 | 28,421 | 36.9 | 40.0% | 35.1% |
| 32 | Chanhassen | 56.60 | 26,006 | 41.5 | 30.0% | 34.8% |
| 33 | Virginia | 56.70 | 8,332 | 43.0 | 29.0% | 24.5% |
| 34 | Delano | 57.30 | 6,942 | 37.4 | 51.0% | 39.0% |
| 35 | Little Falls | 57.50 | 9,121 | 40.9 | 31.0% | 26.8% |
| 36 | Rosemount | 57.70 | 27,562 | 38.9 | 33.0% | 38.9% |
| 37 | Mahtomedi | 58.00 | 8,133 | 43.2 | 40.0% | 33.1% |
| 38 | St. Paul Park | 58.50 | 5,457 | 42.2 | 28.0% | 33.2% |
| 39 | International Falls | 58.70 | 5,642 | 48.6 | 29.0% | 18.6% |
| 40 | Rogers | 59.30 | 13,685 | 37.0 | 41.0% | 46.7% |
| 41 | Hutchinson | 60.00 | 14,680 | 41.9 | 36.0% | 26.2% |
| 42 | Otsego | 61.10 | 22,245 | 34.9 | 37.0% | 43.8% |
| 43 | Golden Valley | 62.70 | 21,725 | 44.2 | 30.0% | 25.6% |
| 44 | Owatonna | 63.10 | 26,498 | 40.4 | 37.0% | 29.4% |
| 45 | Becker | 63.20 | 5,034 | 34.2 | 44.0% | 37.1% |
| 46 | Minnetonka | 63.50 | 53,064 | 42.9 | 30.0% | 25.9% |
| 47 | Alexandria | 63.80 | 14,735 | 40.8 | 34.0% | 23.6% |
| 48 | Champlin | 63.80 | 23,294 | 41.6 | 34.0% | 32.4% |
| 49 | Fergus Falls | 64.20 | 14,181 | 43.3 | 26.0% | 19.9% |
| 50 | Maple Grove | 64.30 | 71,173 | 40.9 | 30.0% | 33.3% |
| 51 | Red Wing | 64.60 | 16,758 | 42.0 | 28.0% | 25.3% |
| 52 | Prior Lake | 64.60 | 28,016 | 39.6 | 31.0% | 38.6% |
| 53 | Waconia | 64.70 | 13,434 | 38.4 | 38.0% | 38.8% |
| 54 | Litchfield | 64.80 | 6,576 | 42.0 | 30.0% | 26.3% |
| 55 | Montevideo | 64.90 | 5,315 | 41.9 | 31.0% | 29.3% |
| 56 | Albertville | 65.00 | 8,207 | 37.3 | 44.0% | 41.5% |
| 57 | Shoreview | 65.10 | 26,714 | 43.6 | 30.0% | 28.5% |
| 58 | Princeton | 65.30 | 5,274 | 39.4 | 33.0% | 25.9% |
| 59 | Cloquet | 65.40 | 12,537 | 37.4 | 31.0% | 31.2% |
| 60 | Belle Plaine | 65.50 | 7,423 | 35.7 | 38.0% | 41.9% |
| 61 | Detroit Lakes | 65.90 | 10,025 | 41.6 | 29.0% | 24.3% |
| 62 | Cottage Grove | 65.90 | 40,992 | 36.5 | 34.0% | 38.1% |
| 63 | Crookston | 66.70 | 7,344 | 41.9 | 29.0% | 25.7% |
| 64 | Hastings | 67.20 | 22,117 | 41.0 | 36.0% | 27.9% |
| 65 | Vadnais Heights | 67.30 | 12,838 | 39.6 | 30.0% | 28.3% |
| 66 | Albert Lea | 67.80 | 18,330 | 44.3 | 28.0% | 24.3% |
| 67 | Anoka | 68.00 | 17,970 | 40.6 | 30.0% | 30.0% |
| 68 | Eden Prairie | 68.30 | 63,051 | 41.3 | 25.0% | 32.5% |
| 69 | Stillwater | 68.70 | 19,355 | 42.5 | 30.0% | 28.7% |
| 70 | Elko New Market | 69.30 | 5,002 | 33.7 | 39.0% | 56.6% |
| 71 | La Crescent | 69.70 | 5,251 | 46.4 | 15.0% | 26.3% |
| 72 | Mound | 69.90 | 9,107 | 47.2 | 31.0% | 19.5% |
| 73 | New Prague | 70.10 | 8,237 | 36.2 | 46.0% | 40.9% |
| 74 | Waseca | 71.30 | 9,164 | 38.0 | 34.0% | 35.2% |
| 75 | Buffalo | 71.80 | 16,499 | 38.6 | 35.0% | 33.7% |
| 76 | Lakeville | 71.90 | 74,354 | 36.8 | 32.0% | 42.7% |
| 77 | Edina | 72.40 | 53,262 | 44.9 | 27.0% | 26.9% |
| 78 | Kasson | 72.60 | 7,050 | 35.1 | 38.0% | 45.2% |
| 79 | Plymouth | 73.40 | 79,220 | 40.3 | 27.0% | 33.0% |
| 80 | Farmington | 74.20 | 23,902 | 35.4 | 32.0% | 43.6% |
| 81 | Mounds View | 75.40 | 12,926 | 40.2 | 31.0% | 28.2% |
| 82 | New Ulm | 75.60 | 14,056 | 39.3 | 35.0% | 25.6% |
| 83 | Chaska | 76.50 | 28,706 | 37.5 | 30.0% | 37.8% |
| 84 | Savage | 76.50 | 32,889 | 37.5 | 30.0% | 36.6% |
| 85 | Blaine | 77.50 | 72,488 | 37.5 | 30.0% | 37.4% |
| 86 | Glencoe | 77.70 | 5,695 | 38.6 | 36.0% | 25.2% |
| 87 | Shakopee | 78.10 | 46,012 | 36.6 | 26.0% | 41.4% |
| 88 | Zimmerman | 78.20 | 6,546 | 32.2 | 36.0% | 42.0% |
| 89 | Cambridge | 78.60 | 10,307 | 37.6 | 30.0% | 25.9% |
| 90 | Isanti | 78.80 | 7,210 | 33.3 | 32.0% | 35.3% |
| 91 | North Mankato | 78.80 | 14,211 | 38.5 | 34.0% | 32.8% |
| 92 | Jordan | 79.40 | 6,771 | 32.9 | 36.0% | 51.6% |
| 93 | Byron | 80.10 | 6,646 | 36.5 | 32.0% | 41.9% |
| 94 | Stewartville | 80.50 | 6,807 | 36.6 | 34.0% | 38.8% |
| 95 | Bloomington | 81.30 | 88,665 | 41.1 | 27.0% | 24.0% |
| 96 | White Bear Lake | 82.30 | 23,908 | 41.9 | 29.0% | 23.9% |
| 97 | Eagan | 82.30 | 68,000 | 39.3 | 26.0% | 29.0% |
| 98 | Coon Rapids | 82.60 | 63,468 | 39.0 | 27.0% | 30.0% |
| 99 | Sartell | 82.90 | 19,758 | 34.8 | 38.0% | 34.2% |
| 100 | Woodbury | 83.10 | 78,305 | 38.0 | 26.0% | 36.5% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 148 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
There You Have It – Now That You’re Asleep
On a ranking like this, there are usually no winners, but since Minnesota isn’t necessarily the most boring state in the United States, the cities on this ranking can at least take solace that there are, in fact, more boring cities in the country.
The most boring cities in Minnesota are Corcoran, Oak Grove, Ham Lake, East Bethel, Minnetrista, North Oaks, Lake Elmo, Dayton, Orono, and Lino Lakes.
If you’re also curious enough, here are the most exciting places in Minnesota, according to science.
