The 10 Worst Places To Live In Minnesota For 2023

The 10 Worst Places To Live In Minnesota For 2023

It might seem really odd to hear that little Waite Park has the worst crime, per capita, in Minnesota. A suburb of St. Cloud, this little city’s issues are with property crimes. A staggering 1 in 11.4 residents here was the victim of some type of reported theft in 2023.

That’s just about as high as it gets, nationwide. And yes, we’re aware that there is a huge amount of retail here, which might skew the numbers. But if you live in a place where people are stealing from stores and breaking into parked cars left and right, is that enjoyable?

Besides very low household income and home values, everything else is average.

Just remember to lock your doors when you go there. It’s simply not a safe place at all.

A suburb of Minneapolis, about 40 minutes to the northwest of the city center, Brooklyn Center has a lot going for it: a strong housing market, wide diversity, and good access to amenities. Sadly, this isn’t enough to counteract high crime and a weak education system. This leaves Brooklyn Center as the number 2 worst location in Minnesota.

The crime rate runs more than 70% above the national average. The schools in the area are also subpar, with none rating more than a 5/10 on Great Schools.

The economy in Brooklyn Center is relatively strong, with median income of $64,618. However, residents have to stretch those funds to pay for a median home price of $203,200.

Little Virginia, Minnesota could use a big hug right now. The crime is the 46th highest in the state, income levels and home values are in the bottom half, and the unemployment rate is far above average. Virginia, which has seen its population shrink 5% over the last 10 years, is about an hour’s drive north of Duluth.

Famous winemaker Robert Mondavi was born in Virginia. Unfortunately, the town has some sour grapes to contend with these days.

On the bright side, the public schools in Virginia are some of the highest rated when it comes to the amount of spending and 1-on-1 student support.

Brainerd is way up on 371, north of Little Falls. You can’t blame them for living up here, since it’s really beautiful. But there are sacrifices you make to live in the boonies. One of them is income.

Not only is the unemployment rate the 19th highest in the state here (5.5%), the residents in Brainerd earn the smallest household income in the state of Minnesota. At a combined income of $41,671, families of four are barely above the poverty line.

In addition, the crime here is really high for a small city in Minnesota. Brainerd has the 39th highest crime rate in the state.

Bemidji is way out at the intersection of Highways 2 and 71. And you may be surprised to hear that the crime here is the 2nd-highest in the state per capita, according to the FBI data base.

Residents in Bemidji had a 1 in 12.5 chance of being robbed in 2022. To put things into perspective, since the average person has 300 friends on Facebook, if everyone you friended lived in Bemidji, statistically, 25 of them would have been the victim of a property crime, meaning a home robbery, car break in or a stolen wallet.

Bemidji’s other issues are a very high unemployment rate (3.7%) and income levels of its residents ($42,218).

A modest-sized town located about an hour south of Minneapolis, Faribault offers plenty of services and excellent access to parks. Check out the area’s River Bend Nature Center. Unfortunately, these benefits can’t save the town from becoming the number 9 most unappealing community in Minnesota.

Jobs and education represent the main stumbling blocks in Faribault. The local financial situation is tough on the area’s 24,310 inhabitants. The median income hovers at $55,229, while the unemployment rate sits at 6.6%.

The unimpressive economy leads to other problems. For instance, schools in the region are mediocre at best, topping out at 5/10 from Great Schools.

One of the twin cities that make up Minnesota’s main urban area, St. Paul provides a home to 309,751 people. As a major city, it offers many advantages. Diversity is high, good schools are easy to find, and you can locate almost any amenity you want. The area even benefits from a strong economy.

However, there are drawbacks. Crime and a high cost of living make this one of the toughest places in Minnesota to live.

Safety is a major concern. The crime rate runs about 70% above the U.S. norm. Meanwhile, the cost of living is relatively high for the state, including expensive services. The median housing value comes in $232,400 compared to a local median income of $63,483.