Wadena ranks #8 in Minnesota for cheap rent
Wadena is ranked on 35 lists against the 275 Minnesota towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 4.
The lists Wadena does best on
Each list ranks every MN town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Wadena marked.
Wadena lands in the top half on 6 of 22 lists
Each dot is Wadena’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MN, the right end is last. Areas where Wadena does best come first.
Colder winters than 91% of Minnesota
Not better or worse, just Wadena’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
2 spots from the top 10 for low property taxes
Lists where Wadena sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Every MN list, and where Wadena 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
#20
W
Cheapest rent#1 White · $509/mo
#8
Lowest property tax#1 Eveleth · $690/yr
#12
N
Rent easiest to afford#1 North Mankato · 30.1%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 International Falls · 8.6 min
#23 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Orrock · 63.1%
#186
Most trails#1 Two Harbors · 4.8 mi / sq mi
#66
Most walkable#1 Robbinsdale · 140 / sq mi
#126 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Crosslake · 57.2%
#234
Most new homes#1 Corcoran · 38.2 per 1,000
#149
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Crosslake · +76.3%
#47
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Brooklyn Center · 136.2 per home
Health
Healthiest#1 Deephaven · 100 / 100
#269
Lowest obesity#1 Edina · 23%
#233
Fewest smokers#1 Deephaven · 7%
#260
Most active#1 Deephaven · 14%
#266
Fewest uninsured#1 Deephaven · 4%
#240
Lowest depression#1 Crosslake · 20%
#199
Closest to a top hospital#1 Waconia · 0.1 mi
#256 
People
Most educated#1 Deephaven · 83.5%
#256
C
Youngest#1 Collegeville · 21.7
#121
Oldest#1 Crosslake · 61.0
#155
Most residents 65+#1 Crosslake · 40.1%
#123
Most kids#1 Lonsdale · 36%
#53 
The number on the right is Wadena’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.