Results Show Shocking Town as One of the Worst to Live in Minnesota

A 2024 study of the worst towns to live in Minnesota has been revealed. Based on different pieces of data (which we'll get to in a moment), the 10 worst places to live in the Land of 10,000 Lakes have been determined.

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What Makes a Place the Worst Place to Live

This study was done by Road Snacks. They looked at a few different items to figure out which places in Minnesota aren't the greatest to reside.

First of all, they only looked at cities/towns with a population of 5,000 or more. So there were a total of 145 places that were studied.

Then they looked at what makes a town a GOOD place to live. That would be things like good education, low crime, good homes, high income, and short work commutes.

Next, they looked at the 145 Minnesota towns and looked at which ones had the least of those things that people would want in a good place to live. They combined that with data from the Census and FBI crime reports and, tah dah, we have the 10 worst places to live in Minnesota.

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Top 10 Worst Places to Live in Minnesota

Virginia

Virginia is the 10th worst place to live in Minnesota according to Road Snacks. Yep, Chris Pratt's hometown. Sorry, Chris.

They found that Virginia has some of the lowest income and home values in the state. They also found that the unemployment rate is "far above average."

St. Cloud

At number 9 we have St. Cloud. The biggest hit to St. Cloud that put the town on the list is the high crime rates they found with FBI data.

Faribault

Faribault comes in as the 8th worst place to live in Minnesota. Road Snacks mentions that jobs and education are the main culprits that put the town on this list. They also write that the schools are "mediocre at best".

Fridley

Coming in at number 7 is Fridley. It appears that the biggest issue for Fridley is the crime rate. The crime rate from Road Snack's research is higher than St. Cloud's.

Little Canada

Little Canada is the 6th worst place to live in our state. Road Snacks writes that there are "financial challenges" that put the town on this list. Also, the property crime rate is not good.

Brooklyn Center

Starting the top 5 worst places to live in Minnesota is Brooklyn Center. The two big issues: "high crime and a weak education system." The economy is strong, though, but not enough to counteract the crime and education.

Bemidji

Bemidji comes in at number 4 on the list. According to FBI data, Bemidji's crime rate is the "highest in the state per capita". Road Snacks also writes that they have a high unemployment rate and low income levels.

Red Wing

The 3rd worst place to live in Minnesota according to Road Snacks is Red Wing. They say the big issue is the crime rate and also the economic situation. Residents have "a lower-than-average economic status" and the higher housing prices give "limited opportunities for upward mobility".

Brainerd

Brainerd is the 2nd worst place to live in Minnesota. The unemployment rate is the 3rd highest in the state, according to Road Snacks, and the average household income is the lowest in Minnesota.

Waite Park

And taking the number one spot for the worst place to live in Minnesota is Waite Park. Property crimes are pretty bad in Waite Park, putting them up at the top of this list. The average household income is also pretty low, which doesn't help the ranking.

Speaking of crime, below you can check out the 10 most dangerous cities in Minnesota for 2024.