Palmer ranks #61 in Minnesota for household income
Palmer is ranked on 29 lists against the 275 Minnesota towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 1.
More vacation homes than 96% of Minnesota
Not better or worse, just Palmer’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Palmer 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.
Palmer lands in the top half on 5 of 16 lists
Each dot is Palmer’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MN, the right end is last. Areas where Palmer does best come first.
The lists Palmer does best on
Each list ranks every MN town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Palmer marked.
Where Palmer 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.
People
Most educated#1 Deephaven · 83.5%
#114
C
Youngest#1 Collegeville · 21.7
#244
Oldest#1 Crosslake · 61.0
#33
Most residents 65+#1 Crosslake · 40.1%
#121
Most kids#1 Lonsdale · 36%
#129 Health
Healthiest#1 Deephaven · 100 / 100
#213
Lowest obesity#1 Edina · 23%
#266
Fewest smokers#1 Deephaven · 7%
#202
Most active#1 Deephaven · 14%
#198
Fewest uninsured#1 Deephaven · 4%
#148
Lowest depression#1 Crosslake · 20%
#118
Closest to a top hospital#1 Waconia · 0.1 mi
#151 
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Eveleth · 1.1 yrs
#195
W
Cheapest rent#1 White · $509/mo
Lowest property tax#1 Eveleth · $690/yr
#137
N
Rent easiest to afford#1 North Mankato · 30.1%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 International Falls · 8.6 min
#267 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Orrock · 63.1%
#259
Most trails#1 Two Harbors · 4.8 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Robbinsdale · 140 / sq mi
#271 Climate
Snowiest#1 Hermantown · 90 in
#130
L
Least snow#1 Lake City · 34 in
#136
Mildest winters#1 La Crescent · 8.7°
#204
Hottest summers#1 Marshall · 83.6°
#192
Coolest summers#1 Two Harbors · 75.4°
#86
Longest growing season#1 Winona · 180 days
#215
Wettest#1 Caledonia · 37 in
#202 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Crosslake · 57.2%
#12
Most new homes#1 Corcoran · 38.2 per 1,000
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Crosslake · +76.3%
#82
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 Palmer’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.