Everyone looks forward to retirement when you can finally leave the workforce behind to enjoy the fruits of your many years of labor.

In the United States, the traditional retirement age is 65, which hopefully provides many years of relaxation. Of course, before that can happen, many retirement-related decisions need to be made.

One of the biggest is where you want to retire. While the first states that likely come to mind are Florida and Arizona, every state in America has terrific cities to enjoy retirement.

With that in mind, a study was recently done to determine the best cities to retire in each state. As for Minnesota, there are fantastic options to consider and if you don't like the cold you could always snowbird elsewhere that time of year.

To determine the best places to retire in Minnesota, the study analyzed 80 cities with over 10,000 residents.

It focused on several criteria including low cost of living as measured by rent, low crime, things to do (museums, colleges, and libraries in town), nice weather, distance to the closest international airport, and other retirees (high median age).

The 10 Best Places To Retire In Minnesota

When it comes to retiring in Minnesota, it appears that small cities and suburbs are best! The largest city on the list has a population of just 53,529.

10. North Mankato

    • Population: 14,238
    • Median Income: $74,602
    • Median Home Price: $285,195
    • Median Rent: $886
    • Distance to Closest Airport: 62 miles

9. Marshall

    • Population: 13,647
    • Median Income: $60,532
    • Median Home Price: $221,674
    • Median Rent: $715
    • Distance to Closest Airport: 129 miles

8. Mendota Heights

    • Population: 11,642
    • Median Income: $129,800
    • Median Home Price: $515,905
    • Median Rent: $1,268
    • Distance to Closest Airport: 4 miles
106.9 KROC-FM logo
Get our free mobile app

7. Albert Lea

    • Population: 18,434
    • Median Income: $56,347
    • Median Home Price: $145,782
    • Median Rent: $814
    • Distance to Closest Airport: 85 miles

6. Owatonna

    • Population: 26,400
    • Median Income: $78,295
    • Median Home Price: $269,150
    • Median Rent: $925
    • Distance to Closest Airport: 54 miles

5. Minnetonka

    • Population: 53,529
    • Median Income: $114,867
    • Median Home Price: $450,534
    • Median Rent: $1,673
    • Distance to Closest Airport: 12 miles

4. New Ulm

    • Population: 14,055
    • Median Income: $59,985
    • Median Home Price: $215,828
    • Median Rent: $883
    • Distance to Closest Airport: 72 miles

SEE NOW: 4 Minnesota Now Hospitals Have Stunning ‘D’ Grades In Patient Safety

3. Grand Rapids

    • Population: 11,158
    • Median Income: $53,317
    • Median Home Price: $234,222
    • Median Rent: $946
    • Distance to Closest Airport: 68 miles

2. Fairmont

    • Population: 10,411
    • Median Income: $56,744
    • Median Home Price: $155,351
    • Median Rent: $748
    • Distance to Closest Airport: 105 miles

1. And The Winner Is...Hibbing

  • Population: 16,167
  • Median Income: $52,881
  • Median Home Price: $142,670
  • Median Rent: $698
  • Distance to Closest Airport: 52 miles

At the top of the list is Hibbing, Minnesota a city in St.Louis County that was built on mining the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range.

So, the moral of this story is that before you head south or west for retirement, take a good, hard look at all that Minnesota has to offer!

SEE NOW: A 505-acre Minnesota Lake Has Been Opened To Unlimited Fishing

LOOK: The 25 least expensive states to live in

Here are the top 25 states with the lowest cost of living in 2022, using data Stacker culled from the Council for Community and Economic Research.

Gallery Credit: Aubrey Jane McClaine

LOOK: 35 Vintage Cereals That Perfectly Captured Pop Culture Moments

Movies and TV shows have always found ways to partner with cereal companies as part of their promotion strategy. While some may have come up with a giveaway in boxes, others went big by having their own cereal connected to the movie or TV show title. Here are vintage cereals that were used to promote some of pop culture's biggest moments (and some you probably forgot about).

Gallery Credit: Rob Carroll

More From 106.9 KROC-FM