Waseca ranks #34 in Minnesota for affordability
Waseca is ranked on 36 lists against the 275 Minnesota towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 3.
The lists Waseca does best on
Each list ranks every MN town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Waseca marked.
Waseca lands in the top half on 6 of 22 lists
Each dot is Waseca’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MN, the right end is last. Areas where Waseca does best come first.
Wetter than 94% of Minnesota
Not better or worse, just Waseca’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Where Waseca 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.
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Eveleth · 1.1 yrs
#34
W
Cheapest rent#1 White · $509/mo
#55
Lowest property tax#1 Eveleth · $690/yr
#77
N
Rent easiest to afford#1 North Mankato · 30.1%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 International Falls · 8.6 min
#67 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Orrock · 63.1%
#102
Most trails#1 Two Harbors · 4.8 mi / sq mi
#188
Most walkable#1 Robbinsdale · 140 / sq mi
#129 
Health
Healthiest#1 Deephaven · 100 / 100
#250
Lowest obesity#1 Edina · 23%
#252
Fewest smokers#1 Deephaven · 7%
#240
Most active#1 Deephaven · 14%
#243
Fewest uninsured#1 Deephaven · 4%
#240
Lowest depression#1 Crosslake · 20%
#199
Closest to a top hospital#1 Waconia · 0.1 mi
#169 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Crosslake · 57.2%
#204
Most new homes#1 Corcoran · 38.2 per 1,000
#173
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Crosslake · +76.3%
#67
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Brooklyn Center · 136.2 per home
People
Most educated#1 Deephaven · 83.5%
#259
C
Youngest#1 Collegeville · 21.7
#93
Oldest#1 Crosslake · 61.0
#184
Most residents 65+#1 Crosslake · 40.1%
#169
Most kids#1 Lonsdale · 36%
#115 
The number on the right is Waseca’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.