Columbus ranks #25 in Minnesota for public schools
Columbus is ranked on 34 lists against the 275 Minnesota towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 3.
More snow than 95% of Minnesota
Not better or worse, just Columbus’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Columbus does best on
Each list ranks every MN town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Columbus marked.
Columbus lands in the top half on 10 of 21 lists
Each dot is Columbus’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MN, the right end is last. Areas where Columbus does best come first.
Columbus out-ranks 2 of its 6 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.
Where Columbus 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
#118
Lowest obesity#1 Edina · 23%
#105
Fewest smokers#1 Deephaven · 7%
#86
Most active#1 Deephaven · 14%
#132
Fewest uninsured#1 Deephaven · 4%
#35
Lowest depression#1 Crosslake · 20%
#118
Closest to a top hospital#1 Waconia · 0.1 mi
#192 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Crosslake · 57.2%
#61
Most new homes#1 Corcoran · 38.2 per 1,000
#128
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Crosslake · +76.3%
#170
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Brooklyn Center · 136.2 per home
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Orrock · 63.1%
#123
Most trails#1 Two Harbors · 4.8 mi / sq mi
#183
Most walkable#1 Robbinsdale · 140 / sq mi
#261 People
Most educated#1 Deephaven · 83.5%
#176
C
Youngest#1 Collegeville · 21.7
#236
Oldest#1 Crosslake · 61.0
#41
Most residents 65+#1 Crosslake · 40.1%
#94
Most kids#1 Lonsdale · 36%
#221 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 International Falls · 8.6 min
#226 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Eveleth · 1.1 yrs
#240
W
Cheapest rent#1 White · $509/mo
#208
Lowest property tax#1 Eveleth · $690/yr
#246
N
Rent easiest to afford#1 North Mankato · 30.1%
Climate
Snowiest#1 Hermantown · 90 in
#14
L
Least snow#1 Lake City · 34 in
#258
Mildest winters#1 La Crescent · 8.7°
#140
Hottest summers#1 Marshall · 83.6°
#89
Coolest summers#1 Two Harbors · 75.4°
#190
Longest growing season#1 Winona · 180 days
#131
Wettest#1 Caledonia · 37 in
#71 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Ely · 12.7 per resident
Most library borrowing#1 Stillwater · 22.8 per resident
Best libraries for kids#1 Ely · 65.1 per child
Safety
Safest#1 Montevideo · 0.0
The number on the right is Columbus’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.