Buffalo ranks #24 in Minnesota for safety
Buffalo is ranked on 37 lists against the 275 Minnesota towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 1.
More homes per newcomer than 95% of Minnesota
Not better or worse, just Buffalo’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Buffalo 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.
Buffalo lands in the top half on 12 of 23 lists
Each dot is Buffalo’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MN, the right end is last. Areas where Buffalo does best come first.
The lists Buffalo does best on
Each list ranks every MN town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Buffalo marked.
Every MN list, and where Buffalo lands
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
#139
Lowest obesity#1 Edina · 23%
#138
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
#206 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Eveleth · 1.1 yrs
#127
W
Cheapest rent#1 White · $509/mo
#126
Lowest property tax#1 Eveleth · $690/yr
#154
N
Rent easiest to afford#1 North Mankato · 30.1%
#24 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Crosslake · 57.2%
#136
Most new homes#1 Corcoran · 38.2 per 1,000
#106
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Crosslake · +76.3%
#137
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Brooklyn Center · 136.2 per home
#140 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Orrock · 63.1%
#194
Most trails#1 Two Harbors · 4.8 mi / sq mi
#209
Most walkable#1 Robbinsdale · 140 / sq mi
#86 
People
Most educated#1 Deephaven · 83.5%
#150
C
Youngest#1 Collegeville · 21.7
#106
Oldest#1 Crosslake · 61.0
#165
Most residents 65+#1 Crosslake · 40.1%
#141
Most kids#1 Lonsdale · 36%
#119 
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 International Falls · 8.6 min
#201 
The number on the right is Buffalo’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.