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Compare towns

St. Cloud vs Mankato

94 miles apart. The biggest differences: growth since 2010 (+8.6 pts in Mankato) and average commute (6 min in Mankato).

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St. Cloud, MNA college townMinnesota · 70,629 people
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Mankato, MNHometown of 68 notable peopleMinnesota · 45,473 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Report cards

Mankato places higher on 16 of 23 MN lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Minnesota ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $270 more a month in Mankato

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

St. Cloud$1,570/mo
Typical home $258K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.03% · or rent about $1,003/mo · Housing →
Mankato$1,850/mo
Typical home $305K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.97% · or rent about $1,132/mo · Housing →

The difference: $270 a month, about $3,300 a year, between Mankato and St. Cloud.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
St. CloudMankato
Snow a year48″39″
January low3°F6°F
July high82°F82°F
Growing season (days)144d161d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)52nd26th
Outdoors & history
St. CloudMankato
Conserved land5.2%5.8%
Settled18561852
National Register places1414
Archive photos—6
Famous people born here—68
Community
St. CloudMankato
Library hours a week57 hrs52 hrs
Colleges in town32
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

94 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

St. Cloud ↔ Mankato94 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

St. CloudMankato
People
Population 70,629Highest 45,473Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +4.6%Lowest MN: +7.6% +13.2%Highest MN: +7.6%
Median age 30.6±0.7Highest 21% below MN 26.5±0.6Lowest 32% below MN
Kids under 18 21.9%±1.3Highest MN: 22.9% 17%±1.1Lowest MN: 22.9%
Age 65+ 13.3%±0.9Highest MN: 17.3% 12.7%±1Lowest MN: 17.3%
St. Cloud and Mankato are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 30.4%Lowest MN: 39.4% 35.1%Highest MN: 39.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 13.6%±1.1Lowest MN: 5.8% 23%±1.3Highest MN: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $61,374±$4kLowest 31% below MN $66,873±$4kHighest 25% below MN
Mankato and St. Cloud are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $225,000±$7kLowest 32% below MN $261,700±$10kHighest 21% below MN
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,003±$44Lowest 22% below MN $1,132±$57Highest 12% below MN
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,320Lowest 31% below MN $2,551Highest 24% below MN
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 47.5%±4.7Lowest MN: 48.1% 49.8%±6.1Highest MN: 48.1%
Mankato and St. Cloud are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 20.2%Lowest MN: 9.3% 20.6%Highest MN: 9.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 48.6%Lowest MN: 72.2% 50%Highest MN: 72.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1981Lowest 2 yrs newer than MN 1982Highest 3 yrs newer than MN
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 20 minHighest 13% below MN 14 minLowest 39% below MN
Work from home 8.5%±1.2Highest MN: 17.6% 7.8%±1.4Lowest MN: 17.6%
St. Cloud and Mankato are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 44%Lowest 47.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 4.3 miHighest 3.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.56Lowest 1.61Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Waite Park (8%)North Mankato (11%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in MankatoFew work in St. Cloud
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 5.2%Lowest 5.8%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 16.4 miHighest 12.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miLowest 0.6 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 47Highest 21Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 53.4Lowest 75.1Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #214 of 230 in MN#98 of 230 in MN
School district STRIDE Academy · MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONSMANKATO PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town Technical Senior HighMankato East Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school 17.9Lowest 19.8Highest
Minnesota average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

St. Cloud neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Life Along the Mississippi

1 neighbor in St. Cloud can answer.

Mankato neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mankato’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering St. Cloud

Towns like St. Cloud

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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