Wakefield ranks #50 in Minnesota for low depression
Wakefield is ranked on 34 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 97% of Minnesota
Not better or worse, just Wakefield’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Wakefield 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.
Wakefield lands in the top half on 8 of 20 lists
Each dot is Wakefield’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MN, the right end is last. Areas where Wakefield does best come first.
The lists Wakefield does best on
Each list ranks every MN town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Wakefield marked.
Every MN list, and where Wakefield lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Health
Healthiest#1 Deephaven · 100 / 100
#126
Lowest obesity#1 Edina · 23%
#105
Fewest smokers#1 Deephaven · 7%
#117
Most active#1 Deephaven · 14%
#99
Fewest uninsured#1 Deephaven · 4%
#89
Lowest depression#1 Crosslake · 20%
#50
Closest to a top hospital#1 Waconia · 0.1 mi
#193 
People
Most educated#1 Deephaven · 83.5%
#152
C
Youngest#1 Collegeville · 21.7
#253
Oldest#1 Crosslake · 61.0
#23
Most residents 65+#1 Crosslake · 40.1%
#105
Most kids#1 Lonsdale · 36%
#101 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Eveleth · 1.1 yrs
#206
W
Cheapest rent#1 White · $509/mo
#139
Lowest property tax#1 Eveleth · $690/yr
#186
N
Rent easiest to afford#1 North Mankato · 30.1%
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Crosslake · 57.2%
#10
Most new homes#1 Corcoran · 38.2 per 1,000
#175
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Crosslake · +76.3%
#51
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Brooklyn Center · 136.2 per home
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 International Falls · 8.6 min
#229 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Orrock · 63.1%
#214
Most trails#1 Two Harbors · 4.8 mi / sq mi
#205
Most walkable#1 Robbinsdale · 140 / sq mi
#254 
Climate
Snowiest#1 Hermantown · 90 in
#20
L
Least snow#1 Lake City · 34 in
#249
Mildest winters#1 La Crescent · 8.7°
#209
Hottest summers#1 Marshall · 83.6°
#209
Coolest summers#1 Two Harbors · 75.4°
#71
Longest growing season#1 Winona · 180 days
#142
Wettest#1 Caledonia · 37 in
#211 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 Wakefield’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.