Albert Lea ranks #6 in Minnesota for a top hospital nearby
Albert Lea is ranked on 37 lists against the 275 Minnesota towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 6.
Wetter than 96% of Minnesota
Not better or worse, just Albert Lea’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Albert Lea does best on
Each list ranks every MN town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Albert Lea marked.
Albert Lea lands in the top half on 7 of 23 lists
Each dot is Albert Lea’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MN, the right end is last. Areas where Albert Lea does best come first.
3 spots from the top 3 for a top hospital nearby
Lists where Albert Lea sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Where Albert Lea 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.
Health
Healthiest#1 Deephaven · 100 / 100
#259
Lowest obesity#1 Edina · 23%
#138
Fewest smokers#1 Deephaven · 7%
#240
Most active#1 Deephaven · 14%
#266
Fewest uninsured#1 Deephaven · 4%
#261
Lowest depression#1 Crosslake · 20%
#15
Closest to a top hospital#1 Waconia · 0.1 mi
#6 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Eveleth · 1.1 yrs
#18
W
Cheapest rent#1 White · $509/mo
#43
Lowest property tax#1 Eveleth · $690/yr
#24
N
Rent easiest to afford#1 North Mankato · 30.1%
#46 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 International Falls · 8.6 min
#48 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Orrock · 63.1%
#160
Most trails#1 Two Harbors · 4.8 mi / sq mi
#136
Most walkable#1 Robbinsdale · 140 / sq mi
#103 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Crosslake · 57.2%
#117
Most new homes#1 Corcoran · 38.2 per 1,000
#208
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Crosslake · +76.3%
#56
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Brooklyn Center · 136.2 per home
#120 
People
Most educated#1 Deephaven · 83.5%
#258
C
Youngest#1 Collegeville · 21.7
#225
Oldest#1 Crosslake · 61.0
#48
Most residents 65+#1 Crosslake · 40.1%
#29
Most kids#1 Lonsdale · 36%
#189 
The number on the right is Albert Lea’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.