Duluth makes Minnesota’s top 10 on 3 lists
Duluth is ranked on 40 lists against the 275 Minnesota towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 3 and the top quarter on 4.
Cooler summers than 100% of Minnesota
Not better or worse, just Duluth’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Duluth does best on
Each list ranks every MN town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Duluth marked.
1 spot from the top 25 for a top hospital nearby
Lists where Duluth sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Duluth lands in the top half on 13 of 26 lists
Each dot is Duluth’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MN, the right end is last. Areas where Duluth does best come first.
Duluth out-ranks 3 of its 5 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 Duluth lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 International Falls · 8.6 min
#36 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Orrock · 63.1%
#72
Most trails#1 Two Harbors · 4.8 mi / sq mi
#9
Most walkable#1 Robbinsdale · 140 / sq mi
#170 Health
Healthiest#1 Deephaven · 100 / 100
#184
Lowest obesity#1 Edina · 23%
#105
Fewest smokers#1 Deephaven · 7%
#167
Most active#1 Deephaven · 14%
#132
Fewest uninsured#1 Deephaven · 4%
#89
Lowest depression#1 Crosslake · 20%
#199
Closest to a top hospital#1 Waconia · 0.1 mi
#26 People
Most educated#1 Deephaven · 83.5%
#65
C
Youngest#1 Collegeville · 21.7
#41
Oldest#1 Crosslake · 61.0
#232
Most residents 65+#1 Crosslake · 40.1%
#140
Most kids#1 Lonsdale · 36%
#251 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Eveleth · 1.1 yrs
#75
W
Cheapest rent#1 White · $509/mo
#103
Lowest property tax#1 Eveleth · $690/yr
#100
N
Rent easiest to afford#1 North Mankato · 30.1%
#66 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Ely · 12.7 per resident
#14
Most library borrowing#1 Stillwater · 22.8 per resident
#9
Best libraries for kids#1 Ely · 65.1 per child
#6 
The number on the right is Duluth’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.