Albany makes Minnesota’s top 10 on 2 lists
Albany is ranked on 35 lists against the 275 Minnesota towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 2 and the top quarter on 5.
More year-round than 97% of Minnesota
Not better or worse, just Albany’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Albany does best on
Each list ranks every MN town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Albany marked.
Albany lands in the top half on 15 of 22 lists
Each dot is Albany’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MN, the right end is last. Areas where Albany does best come first.
2 spots from the top 3 for cheap rent
Lists where Albany sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Where Albany lands in every MN ranking
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Eveleth · 1.1 yrs
#71
W
Cheapest rent#1 White · $509/mo
#5
Lowest property tax#1 Eveleth · $690/yr
#67
N
Rent easiest to afford#1 North Mankato · 30.1%
Health
Healthiest#1 Deephaven · 100 / 100
#102
Lowest obesity#1 Edina · 23%
#105
Fewest smokers#1 Deephaven · 7%
#117
Most active#1 Deephaven · 14%
#99
Fewest uninsured#1 Deephaven · 4%
#89
Lowest depression#1 Crosslake · 20%
#118
Closest to a top hospital#1 Waconia · 0.1 mi
#208 
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Orrock · 63.1%
#178
Most trails#1 Two Harbors · 4.8 mi / sq mi
#97
Most walkable#1 Robbinsdale · 140 / sq mi
#134 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 International Falls · 8.6 min
#140 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Crosslake · 57.2%
#267
Most new homes#1 Corcoran · 38.2 per 1,000
#156
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Crosslake · +76.3%
#39
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Brooklyn Center · 136.2 per home
People
Most educated#1 Deephaven · 83.5%
#237
C
Youngest#1 Collegeville · 21.7
#27
Oldest#1 Crosslake · 61.0
#250
Most residents 65+#1 Crosslake · 40.1%
#120
Most kids#1 Lonsdale · 36%
#50 
The number on the right is Albany’s spot. All of Minnesota’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every MN list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.