Rent, home value, income and commute for the Minnesota cities we cover, side by side and unranked, from the Census Bureau.
Each row below comes from the Census Bureau and is listed A to Z inside its group. We do not rank places or call any of them “best”: what fits depends on a reader’s job, budget and commute. For where to go for a visit instead, see our destinations.
Twin Cities Metro
Cities in and around the seven-county Twin Cities area that we cover. Source: Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (ACS 5-year 2020-2024), read November 1, 2026.
| City | Population | Median age | Median household income | Median home value | Median rent | Mean commute, minutes (derived) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomington | 88,665 | 41.1 | $93,211 | $361,700 | $1,561 | 21.0 |
| Brooklyn Park | 83,876 | 35.2 | $89,891 | $336,200 | $1,325 | 21.3 |
| Burnsville | 64,463 | 36.7 | $87,024 | $355,200 | $1,513 | 23.3 |
| Eagan | 68,000 | 39.3 | $108,690 | $397,100 | $1,679 | 21.2 |
| Eden Prairie | 63,051 | 41.3 | $130,489 | $473,900 | $1,833 | 21.4 |
| Maple Grove | 71,173 | 40.9 | $132,731 | $418,300 | $1,868 | 24.0 |
| Minneapolis | 427,246 | 33.4 | $80,846 | $362,200 | $1,371 | 22.0 |
| Plymouth | 79,220 | 40.3 | $136,534 | $491,200 | $1,766 | 21.7 |
| St. Paul | 307,284 | 33.7 | $73,394 | $294,500 | $1,281 | 21.1 |
| Stillwater | 19,355 | 42.5 | $105,853 | $414,200 | $1,622 | 20.1 |
| Woodbury | 78,305 | 38.0 | $125,310 | $450,200 | $1,908 | 23.9 |
Regional Centers
Larger cities outside the metro. Source: Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (ACS 5-year 2020-2024), read November 1, 2026.
| City | Population | Median age | Median household income | Median home value | Median rent | Mean commute, minutes (derived) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duluth | 87,093 | 35.2 | $68,807 | $242,700 | $1,087 | 17.3 |
| Mankato | 45,473 | 26.5 | $66,873 | $261,700 | $1,132 | 13.9 |
| Moorhead | 45,036 | 31.3 | $72,761 | $249,000 | $1,033 | 17.8 |
| Northfield | 20,742 | 28.2 | $84,895 | $329,400 | $1,103 | 17.7 |
| Red Wing | 16,758 | 42.0 | $67,192 | $237,300 | $969 | 19.6 |
| Rochester | 122,330 | 36.3 | $89,389 | $310,500 | $1,399 | 17.4 |
| St. Cloud | 70,629 | 30.6 | $61,374 | $225,000 | $1,003 | 19.8 |
| Winona | 26,009 | 31.3 | $56,337 | $201,800 | $882 | 13.8 |
Northern And Western Towns
Smaller cities in the north and southwest that we cover. Source: Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (ACS 5-year 2020-2024), read November 1, 2026.
| City | Population | Median age | Median household income | Median home value | Median rent | Mean commute, minutes (derived) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bemidji | 15,569 | 30.0 | $55,405 | $198,300 | $1,067 | 17.4 |
| Brainerd | 14,468 | 35.1 | $56,111 | $192,500 | $827 | 19.8 |
| Grand Rapids | 11,207 | 44.3 | $61,029 | $213,800 | $1,090 | 15.0 |
| Hibbing | 16,057 | 45.7 | $55,789 | $130,200 | $833 | 16.5 |
| Marshall | 13,896 | 35.9 | $68,566 | $210,300 | $779 | 10.7 |
Notes
- City limits only; a metro’s suburbs and townships are separate rows or not covered.
- Mean commute is aggregate travel time to work divided by workers 16 and older who did not work from home (derived).
- The groups are our own, for reading ease; they are not a Census or state definition.
- The jobs and pay picture for six counties is on the Living In Minnesota hub.
What We Could Not Verify
- Crime, school quality, taxes by city, transit and health data: not collected here. We publish no safety ranking.
- Cities we do not list: absence does not mean anything about them.
- Margins of error for each estimate.
More Minnesota Guides
- Housing Costs
- Places To Live
- Income, Education And Commute
- Taxes
- Moving To Minnesota
- New Resident Checklist
- Answers
- Open Data
Questions People Ask
Which Minnesota city has the lowest rent?
Of the cities listed, Marshall has the lowest median gross rent ($779 a month) in the Census Bureau ACS 5-year 2020-2024 estimates.
What is the biggest city in Minnesota?
Minneapolis, with about 427,246 residents in the Census Bureau ACS 5-year 2020-2024 estimates; St. Paul has about 307,284.
Sources
- Census Bureau: ACS 5-year estimates API, read November 1, 2026
Checked November 1, 2026 by It’s Minnesota. Cite this page: It’s Minnesota, “Places To Live In Minnesota” (itsminnesota.com/living/places-to-live/), checked November 1, 2026. Free to quote with a link.