How St. Cloud compares across Minnesota
St. Cloud is ranked on 37 lists against the 275 Minnesota towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 3.
Younger than 98% of Minnesota
Not better or worse, just St. Cloud’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists St. Cloud does best on
Each list ranks every MN town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with St. Cloud marked.
St. Cloud lands in the top half on 9 of 23 lists
Each dot is St. Cloud’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MN, the right end is last. Areas where St. Cloud does best come first.
St. Cloud out-ranks 1 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 St. Cloud lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Eveleth · 1.1 yrs
#62
W
Cheapest rent#1 White · $509/mo
#85
Lowest property tax#1 Eveleth · $690/yr
#49
N
Rent easiest to afford#1 North Mankato · 30.1%
#35 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 International Falls · 8.6 min
#80 Health
Healthiest#1 Deephaven · 100 / 100
#231
Lowest obesity#1 Edina · 23%
#233
Fewest smokers#1 Deephaven · 7%
#202
Most active#1 Deephaven · 14%
#198
Fewest uninsured#1 Deephaven · 4%
#206
Lowest depression#1 Crosslake · 20%
#199
Closest to a top hospital#1 Waconia · 0.1 mi
#37 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Orrock · 63.1%
#125
Most trails#1 Two Harbors · 4.8 mi / sq mi
#148
Most walkable#1 Robbinsdale · 140 / sq mi
#122 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Crosslake · 57.2%
#164
Most new homes#1 Corcoran · 38.2 per 1,000
#118
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Crosslake · +76.3%
#110
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Brooklyn Center · 136.2 per home
#124 People
Most educated#1 Deephaven · 83.5%
#166
C
Youngest#1 Collegeville · 21.7
#7
Oldest#1 Crosslake · 61.0
#269
Most residents 65+#1 Crosslake · 40.1%
#225
Most kids#1 Lonsdale · 36%
#175 
The number on the right is St. Cloud’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.