Brainerd ranks #7 in Minnesota for affordable rent
Brainerd 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 4.
The lists Brainerd does best on
Each list ranks every MN town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Brainerd marked.
Brainerd lands in the top half on 9 of 23 lists
Each dot is Brainerd’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MN, the right end is last. Areas where Brainerd does best come first.
Faster-rising prices than 90% of Minnesota
Not better or worse, just Brainerd’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
3 spots from the top 25 for cheap rent
Lists where Brainerd sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Brainerd out-ranks 0 of its 1 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Every MN list, and where Brainerd lands
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
#35
W
Cheapest rent#1 White · $509/mo
#28
Lowest property tax#1 Eveleth · $690/yr
#40
N
Rent easiest to afford#1 North Mankato · 30.1%
#7 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 International Falls · 8.6 min
#81 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Orrock · 63.1%
#104
Most trails#1 Two Harbors · 4.8 mi / sq mi
#128
Most walkable#1 Robbinsdale · 140 / sq mi
#109 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Crosslake · 57.2%
#62
Most new homes#1 Corcoran · 38.2 per 1,000
#124
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Crosslake · +76.3%
#27
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Brooklyn Center · 136.2 per home
#20 
Health
Healthiest#1 Deephaven · 100 / 100
#234
Lowest obesity#1 Edina · 23%
#233
Fewest smokers#1 Deephaven · 7%
#260
Most active#1 Deephaven · 14%
#220
Fewest uninsured#1 Deephaven · 4%
#206
Lowest depression#1 Crosslake · 20%
#118
Closest to a top hospital#1 Waconia · 0.1 mi
#241 
People
Most educated#1 Deephaven · 83.5%
#238
C
Youngest#1 Collegeville · 21.7
#38
Oldest#1 Crosslake · 61.0
#236
Most residents 65+#1 Crosslake · 40.1%
#133
Most kids#1 Lonsdale · 36%
#171 
The number on the right is Brainerd’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.