Midwest · Updated October 2026
Minnesota in numbers, from the same public data Locustep uses to rank all 50 states: rent, pay, taxes, safety, disaster risk and weather, plus the cities worth a look.
Two-bedroom rent
$1,507/mo
U.S. average $1,759
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state)
Rent vs. income
20.8%
of median household income for a year of two-bedroom rent
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 ÷ 2024 ACS 1-year estimates (Census B19013)
State income tax
9.85%
top marginal rate, single filer
State revenue departments, 2026 income tax rates (sources listed per state)
Property tax
1.02%
effective rate on owner-occupied homes
Everyday costs
100.3
index, housing excluded (U.S. = 100)
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (released February 2026), housing and utilities removed
Natural disaster risk
28th
percentile, FEMA expected annual loss (lower is safer)
What to weigh: the 6th highest top income-tax rate.
Overall, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 8.7% of it in state and local income, property and sales tax here, the 13th highest of the 50 states.
Average afternoon highs and overnight lows in Minneapolis (Minneapolis-St Paul Airport station), NOAA 1991–2020 normals.
| Season | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | 27°F | 12°F |
| Spring (Mar–May) | 56°F | 37°F |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | 81°F | 63°F |
| Fall (Sep–Nov) | 58°F | 41°F |
$1,734/mo two-bedroom · $1,427 one-bedroom (Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI HUD Metro FMR Area)
Minneapolis is a genuinely well-run city — excellent parks, lakes, bike infrastructure, theatre and a strong corporate job base. The catch is winter: months of real cold and snow that shape the entire year.
$1,734/mo two-bedroom · $1,427 one-bedroom (Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI HUD Metro FMR Area)
St. Paul is Minneapolis's older, quieter, more residential twin — Victorian neighbourhoods, the state capitol and a more settled feel. Same winters, slightly cheaper housing, same access to the metro's amenities.
$1,422/mo two-bedroom · $1,226 one-bedroom (Rochester, MN HUD Metro FMR Area)
Rochester, Minnesota is the Mayo Clinic's city — a medical economy of global reach in a small, tidy, well-off town. Very cold, very stable, and dominated by healthcare employment.
$1,207/mo two-bedroom · $961 one-bedroom (Duluth, MN-WI MSA)
Duluth is a hillside port city on Lake Superior with dramatic scenery, cool summers and severe winters. Affordable, outdoorsy, and increasingly mentioned as a climate-resilient place to live.
$1,734/mo two-bedroom · $1,427 one-bedroom (Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI HUD Metro FMR Area)
Bloomington is a Twin Cities suburb best known for the Mall of America, with corporate offices, easy airport access and light-rail service. Suburban, convenient, and slightly cheaper than the core cities.
$1,233/mo two-bedroom · $961 one-bedroom (St. Cloud, MN MSA)
St. Cloud is a central Minnesota regional hub with a state university, granite quarrying history and a low cost of living. Cold, quiet and practical, about an hour from the Twin Cities.
$1,230/mo two-bedroom · $1,023 one-bedroom (Mankato, MN MSA)
Mankato is a southern Minnesota river city with Minnesota State University and agribusiness. Affordable and steady, about an hour and a half from the Twin Cities.
$1,226/mo two-bedroom · $937 one-bedroom (Rice County, MN)
Northfield is a small college town with Carleton and St. Olaf, a historic riverside downtown and the famous 1876 bank-raid story. Quiet, educated and within commuting reach of the Twin Cities.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state) (metro areas). City notes: Locustep.
Closest on Locustep’s match factors: cost, housing, taxes, safety, jobs, schools, healthcare, outdoors, disaster risk and climate.
Ranks compare the 50 states. Locustep updates these figures when the agencies publish new data.
Yes. Minnesota’s top marginal income-tax rate for a single filer is 9.85% (Minnesota tax law, 2026). Counting property and sales tax too, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 8.7% of income in state and local taxes (Locustep estimate, 2026).
A typical two-bedroom rents for about $1,507 a month and a one-bedroom for about $1,231, using HUD’s FY2027 Fair Market Rents averaged across the state by population. That is $252 less than the U.S. average of $1,759. Rent in the bigger metros can be well above the state figure.
Leaving housing aside, everyday prices (goods and services other than housing) index at 100.3 against a U.S. average of 100 (BEA, 2024), and the median home value indexes at 95.6 against the U.S. median (Census, 2024). Two-bedroom rent takes 20.8% of the state’s median household income of $87,117.
Minnesota recorded 256.6 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024 (FBI), the 19th lowest rate of the 50 states. Crime varies a lot between and within cities, so check the specific area you’re considering.
The main hazards are severe winter storms and tornadoes. On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Minnesota’s expected yearly loss from natural hazards sits at the 28th percentile nationally (lower is safer). Risk differs sharply by county, so look up the county too.
Places people most often weigh include Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester, Duluth and Bloomington. Each has a different cost, climate and character; Locustep compares their rent, disaster risk, weather and pay side by side.