Willmar ranks #6 in Minnesota for short commutes
Willmar is ranked on 37 lists against the 275 Minnesota towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 6.
The lists Willmar does best on
Each list ranks every MN town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Willmar marked.
Willmar lands in the top half on 10 of 23 lists
Each dot is Willmar’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MN, the right end is last. Areas where Willmar does best come first.
Younger than 82% of Minnesota
Not better or worse, just Willmar’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
3 spots from the top 3 for short commutes
Lists where Willmar sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Every MN list, and where Willmar lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 International Falls · 8.6 min
#6 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Eveleth · 1.1 yrs
#40
W
Cheapest rent#1 White · $509/mo
#59
Lowest property tax#1 Eveleth · $690/yr
#39
N
Rent easiest to afford#1 North Mankato · 30.1%
#13 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Crosslake · 57.2%
#152
Most new homes#1 Corcoran · 38.2 per 1,000
#67
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Crosslake · +76.3%
#81
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Brooklyn Center · 136.2 per home
#42 Health
Healthiest#1 Deephaven · 100 / 100
#261
Lowest obesity#1 Edina · 23%
#270
Fewest smokers#1 Deephaven · 7%
#202
Most active#1 Deephaven · 14%
#243
Fewest uninsured#1 Deephaven · 4%
#268
Lowest depression#1 Crosslake · 20%
#50
Closest to a top hospital#1 Waconia · 0.1 mi
#253 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Orrock · 63.1%
#132
Most trails#1 Two Harbors · 4.8 mi / sq mi
#121
Most walkable#1 Robbinsdale · 140 / sq mi
#120 
People
Most educated#1 Deephaven · 83.5%
#200
C
Youngest#1 Collegeville · 21.7
#48
Oldest#1 Crosslake · 61.0
#227
Most residents 65+#1 Crosslake · 40.1%
#114
Most kids#1 Lonsdale · 36%
#82 
The number on the right is Willmar’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.