New Ranking Says These Are the 5 Worst Small Cities in Minnesota

WalletHub just dropped its 2025 list of the best small cities in America, and let’s just say Minnesota didn’t exactly flood the top ranks. Naturally, that made me wonder, if only a few of our cities scored high, where did the rest land?

Before we dive into the results, here’s a quick look at how WalletHub put this report together. They studied over 1,300 U.S. cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000, examining 45 different factors. These included things like housing costs, school quality, and even the number of restaurants per person in each city.

Also See: More People Are Moving to This City Than Anywhere Else in Minnesota 

Given the massive number of cities WalletHub ranked, they actually grouped cities by percentile. Woodbury, along with Savage, Lakeville, Cottage Grove, and a few others managed to reach the 90th percentile, showing that a few Minnesota cities are standing out. The 99th percentile actually represents the top 1 percent of small cities in America.

New Ranking Says These Are the Worst Small Cities in Minnesota:

Roseville fell in the 54th percentile.

• Affordability rank: 252
• Economic Health Rank: 960
• Education and Health Rank: 588
• Quality of Life Rank: 511
• Safety Rank: 910

Fridley is in the 51st percentile.

• Affordability rank: 378
• Economic Health Rank: 694
• Education and Health Rank: 478
• Quality of Life Rank: 1073
• Safety Rank: 786

Shoreview lands in the 46th percentile.

• Affordability rank: 48
• Economic Health Rank: 1141
• Education and Health Rank: 541
• Quality of Life Rank: 1191
• Safety Rank: 444

St. Cloud is in the 45th percentile.

• Affordability rank: 699
• Economic Health Rank: 807
• Education and Health Rank: 535
• Quality of Life Rank: 693
• Safety Rank: 730

And, the lowest ranked Minnesota city is Brooklyn Center falling in the 43rd percentile.

• Affordability rank: 526
• Economic Health Rank: 732
• Education and Health Rank: 479
• Quality of Life Rank: 1223
• Safety Rank: 738

Even Minnesota’s “worst” small cities really aren’t so bad - they’re more middle-of-the-road than truly bottom-tier. Take Isla Vista, CA, for example, which ranked dead last on the national list. Compared to that and many others on the list, our Minnesota towns still hold their own. To see the entire list, click here.

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