Oh look. Nerds armed with metrics and data took time away from ruining baseball to rank some cities in Minnesota. It quickly turned into Twin Cities Metro vs Outstate Minnesota.

Well, while we're here: where do the nerds at USA Today Homefront think folks should move to...or away from?

The Best Cities in Minnesota to Move To (Allegedly)

Depending on who you ask, Minnesota is either an appealing haven for the Coastal Weary to seek refuge...or a burned-to-the-ground hellscape. Not gonna change any minds here.

USA Today Homefront ranked our urban havens/hellscapes using livability metrics, like:

  • quality of schools
  • activities
  • walkability
  • hospital quality (just give the title to Rochester, then...)
  • life expectancy
  • crime rates
  • severe weather risks
  • unemployment rates
  • housing costs

Yeah, kinda thorough. So who won, and where does St. Cloud rank?

We're Number (scrollscrollscroll) 5!

The Elite Soros Conspiracy Things/Whatever claim Mankato is the best city in Minnesota to move to. Median Income is comparatively low ($61,726), but so is Typical Rent ($1,235). Life Expectancy is decent at 80 years.

Coming in at number 2: Rochester. Higher rent, but also higher Typical Home Value ($324,131) and low Unemployment Rate (1.90%).

Number 3 is Duluth, Moorhead is four-head, and the Granite City finally makes an appearance at #5. St. Cloud's Median Income ($58,910, who are these rich folk?) is the lowest on the list, but so is the Typical Home Value ($249,322); and Typical Rent ($1,298) is the second-lowest on the list.

The Metro? More Like MetNO!

Maplewood (#27), Inver Grove Heights (#28), and Brooklyn Park (#29) are ranked as the Worst of the Cities That USA Today Actually Bothered Looking At.

Minneapolis (#24) and St. Paul (#25) tanked because of higher crime rates than Chicago, and lower-rated schools.

¡Viva la Outstate Minnesota!

B105 logo
Get our free mobile app

H/T: USA Today

Best Minnesota Colleges and Universities for Athletics

When you think of college athletics in Minnesota, there's one school that you probably think of right away. However, that school isn't considered the best for athletics. This is according to Niche's rankings for 2025.

Gallery Credit: Carly Ross

10 Most Expensive Places to Live in Minnesota

Based on average home prices, these are the most expensive places to live in Minnesota, according to information from Stacker

Gallery Credit: Carly Ross

More From B105