106.9 KROC-FM logo
Get our free mobile app

A new study just revealed the top places to live in the United States, and one of the top ten places is right here in Minnesota.

From our great schools, incredible medical care, and general quality of life, we've always suspected that the North Star State was one of the best places in the entire country in which to live, right? Well, now new research proves that we're right: Minnesota IS one of the ultimate places in which to live in 2024.

And that's not just me saying that, mind you (which I totally would, though-- even though I was born over in Wisconsin.) That's the word from this new survey by the rental loan site, visiolending.com. They just crunched the numbers to find America's top living hotspots, and the Land of 10,000 Lakes landed in their top ten this year.

ALSO INTERESTING: Two MN Cities Are Now Two of the Richest in the US

To come up with these new rankings, the crew over at visiolending.com said they gathered data from various sources, including the United States Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. They then analyzed factors like household debt-to-income ratio, property crime rate, and unemployment rate. Each factor was awarded a score of 10 to determine the final ranking. 

Specifically, the Bold North placed 8th out of 50 states in their survey. Here's what they said about Minnesota:

Eighth place goes to Minnesota, with a final score of 57.66. One of the North Star State’s highest-scoring categories is for the average SAT score of high school seniors, being 1,225, receiving a score of 9.14.

Topping the survey of best places to live in the U.S. was California, followed by Wyoming, Maryland, South Dakota, and Nebraska to round out the top five. Neither of our other neighboring states, like my home state of Wisconsin or Iowa, placed in the top ten. You can check out the full list below:

Top 10 Best U.S. States to Live in 2024 (and their final scores)

  1. California - 60.35
  2. Wyoming - 59.50
  3. Maryland - 59.28
  4. South Dakota - 58.63
  5. Nebraska - 58.24
  6. New York - 58.09
  7. North Dakota - 57.95
  8. Minnesota - 57.66
  9. Utah - 56.60
  10. New Jersey 55.87

And while Minnesota overall is a great place to live, just WHERE in the Gopher State is the best place to call home? Keep scrolling to find out!

Listen to Curt St. John weekdays
from 6 to 10 a.m. on Quick 
Country 96.5

The 25 Best Places to Live in Minnesota

Stacker compiled a list of the best places to live in Minnesota using data from Niche. Niche ranks places to live based on a variety of factors including cost of living, schools, health care, recreation, and weather. Cities, suburbs, and towns were included. Listings and images are from realtor.com.

On the list, there's a robust mix of offerings from great schools and nightlife to high walkability and public parks. Some areas have enjoyed rapid growth thanks to new businesses moving to the area, while others offer glimpses into area history with well-preserved architecture and museums. Keep reading to see if your hometown made the list.

 

More From 106.9 KROC-FM