Empire ranks #13 in Minnesota for conserved land
Empire is ranked on 23 lists against the 275 Minnesota towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 3.
More year-round than 95% of Minnesota
Not better or worse, just Empire’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Empire does best on
Each list ranks every MN town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Empire marked.
Empire lands in the top half on 6 of 11 lists
Each dot is Empire’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MN, the right end is last. Areas where Empire does best come first.
3 spots from the top 10 for conserved land
Lists where Empire sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Empire out-ranks 0 of its 3 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 Empire lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Orrock · 63.1%
#13
Most trails#1 Two Harbors · 4.8 mi / sq mi
#54
Most walkable#1 Robbinsdale · 140 / sq mi
#253 
People
Most educated#1 Deephaven · 83.5%
#104
C
Youngest#1 Collegeville · 21.7
#76
Oldest#1 Crosslake · 61.0
#201
Most residents 65+#1 Crosslake · 40.1%
#210
Most kids#1 Lonsdale · 36%
#35 Health
Healthiest#1 Deephaven · 100 / 100
Lowest obesity#1 Edina · 23%
Fewest smokers#1 Deephaven · 7%
Most active#1 Deephaven · 14%
Fewest uninsured#1 Deephaven · 4%
Lowest depression#1 Crosslake · 20%
Closest to a top hospital#1 Waconia · 0.1 mi
#135 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Eveleth · 1.1 yrs
#242
W
Cheapest rent#1 White · $509/mo
#247
Lowest property tax#1 Eveleth · $690/yr
#233
N
Rent easiest to afford#1 North Mankato · 30.1%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 International Falls · 8.6 min
#242 Climate
Snowiest#1 Hermantown · 90 in
#195
L
Least snow#1 Lake City · 34 in
#67
Mildest winters#1 La Crescent · 8.7°
#24
Hottest summers#1 Marshall · 83.6°
#97
Coolest summers#1 Two Harbors · 75.4°
#198
Longest growing season#1 Winona · 180 days
#40
Wettest#1 Caledonia · 37 in
#82 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Crosslake · 57.2%
#260
Most new homes#1 Corcoran · 38.2 per 1,000
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Crosslake · +76.3%
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Brooklyn Center · 136.2 per home
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 Empire’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.