Dayton makes Minnesota’s top 10 on 3 lists
Dayton is ranked on 36 lists against the 275 Minnesota towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 3 and the top quarter on 13.
Dayton is on Minnesota’s podium 2 times
Each list ranks every MN town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Dayton marked.
Dayton lands in the top half on 14 of 22 lists
Each dot is Dayton’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MN, the right end is last. Areas where Dayton does best come first.
Fewer seniors than 89% of Minnesota
Not better or worse, just Dayton’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
2 spots from the top 25 for health
Lists where Dayton sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Dayton out-ranks 5 of its 7 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 Dayton 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.
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Crosslake · 57.2%
#206
Most new homes#1 Corcoran · 38.2 per 1,000
#3
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Crosslake · +76.3%
#182
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Brooklyn Center · 136.2 per home
#90 
Health
Healthiest#1 Deephaven · 100 / 100
#27
Lowest obesity#1 Edina · 23%
#19
Fewest smokers#1 Deephaven · 7%
#54
Most active#1 Deephaven · 14%
#31
Fewest uninsured#1 Deephaven · 4%
#148
Lowest depression#1 Crosslake · 20%
#244
Closest to a top hospital#1 Waconia · 0.1 mi
#46 
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Orrock · 63.1%
#10
Most trails#1 Two Harbors · 4.8 mi / sq mi
#63
Most walkable#1 Robbinsdale · 140 / sq mi
#211 
People
Most educated#1 Deephaven · 83.5%
#66
C
Youngest#1 Collegeville · 21.7
#145
Oldest#1 Crosslake · 61.0
#132
Most residents 65+#1 Crosslake · 40.1%
#245
Most kids#1 Lonsdale · 36%
#44 
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 International Falls · 8.6 min
#204 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Eveleth · 1.1 yrs
#250
W
Cheapest rent#1 White · $509/mo
#207
Lowest property tax#1 Eveleth · $690/yr
#257
N
Rent easiest to afford#1 North Mankato · 30.1%
The number on the right is Dayton’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.