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These Are The 10 Most Successful Cities In Minnesota

By Chris Kolmar
Jun. 27, 2016

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What is success? Is it the amount of money you have in your bank account, at any given point? Is it that feeling you get after delivering a killer presentation, or even a pretty decent bar joke?

Or is it something bigger–something wholly unnamable, undefinable, immeasurable, and totally subjective?

Probably so.

But here at Zippia, we like things that we can neatly measure and then expound upon. So yes, with the Power of Math, we have determined the unarguable, totally objective 10 most successful cities in Minnesota. And here they are:

  1. Rogers
  2. Shorewood
  3. Victoria
  4. St. Michael
  5. Champlin
  6. Farmington
  7. Chanhassen
  8. Orono
  9. Waconia
  10. Woodbury

If you are trying to argue already with our unarguable list, keep reading. There’s a method to this madness.

For more MN reading, check out:

How We Determined The Most Successful Cities In Minnesota

The first thing that comes to most capitalist minds in terms of success is–money. After all, rich people must be successful, right?

Meh. Maybe. But we think there’s a bit more that goes into it than that. So we looked at this set of criteria from the 2010-2014 American Community Survey:

1. Rogers

Source: Flickr

Population: 11,747Median Income: $100,525
Poverty Level: 2.1%
Unemployment Rate: 3.7%

2. Shorewood

Population: 7,438Median Income: $113,719
Poverty Level: 3.8%
Unemployment Rate: 2.9%

3. Victoria

Population: 7,845Median Income: $131,833
Poverty Level: 2.8%
Unemployment Rate: 4.7%

4. St. Michael

Population: 16,767Median Income: $94,318
Poverty Level: 2.4%
Unemployment Rate: 4.1%

5. Champlin

Population: 23,591Median Income: $86,788
Poverty Level: 2.6%
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%

6. Farmington

Population: 21,861Median Income: $87,653
Poverty Level: 2.5%
Unemployment Rate: 4.3%

7. Chanhassen

Population: 24,003Median Income: $108,078
Poverty Level: 3.0%
Unemployment Rate: 4.8%

8. Orono

Population: 7,690Median Income: $101,030
Poverty Level: 3.8%
Unemployment Rate: 4.2%

9. Waconia

Population: 11,230Median Income: $78,086
Poverty Level: 2.9%
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%

10. Woodbury

Population: 64,544Median Income: $98,974
Poverty Level: 3.4%
Unemployment Rate: 4.7%

Measuring Success

If you’re still looking at this post thinking, “Surely, such superficial methods can’t possibly measure a city, or rather, the individuals that make up that city’s success!” well, you’re probably right.

But we like to measure things, and when it comes to success, we feel pretty successful in our approach. Congrats to Rogers and our winners. And for those who didn’t make the cut, well, better luck next year.

Detailed List Of The Most Successful Cities In Minnesota

Rank City Median Income Poverty Rate Unemployment Rate
1 Rogers $100,525 2.1% 3.7%
2 Shorewood $113,719 3.8% 2.9%
3 Victoria $131,833 2.8% 4.7%
4 St. Michael $94,318 2.4% 4.1%
5 Champlin $86,788 2.6% 3.6%
6 Farmington $87,653 2.5% 4.3%
7 Chanhassen $108,078 3.0% 4.8%
8 Orono $101,030 3.8% 4.2%
9 Waconia $78,086 2.9% 3.6%
10 Woodbury $98,974 3.4% 4.7%
11 Kasson $68,153 2.3% 2.5%
12 Minnetrista $107,083 6.8% 3.8%
13 Lake Elmo $104,974 3.6% 5.1%
14 Mendota Heights $98,098 3.4% 5.2%
15 Rosemount $86,845 5.2% 4.0%
16 Wyoming $81,496 3.7% 4.4%
17 Lakeville $94,635 5.4% 4.3%
18 Chaska $76,301 4.1% 4.0%
19 Hugo $81,773 5.2% 3.7%
20 Andover $93,314 3.5% 5.2%
21 Delano $78,065 2.9% 4.9%
22 Prior Lake $95,692 4.8% 4.9%
23 Mahtomedi $97,766 5.6% 4.6%
24 New Prague $66,272 4.4% 3.3%
25 Lino Lakes $103,407 3.6% 5.6%
26 Byron $75,102 5.8% 2.5%
27 Eden Prairie $95,697 4.5% 5.1%
28 Edina $86,968 4.2% 5.1%
29 Sartell $69,380 5.0% 3.6%
30 Maple Grove $92,267 3.5% 5.5%
31 Otsego $72,626 3.2% 5.0%
32 Jordan $68,091 4.5% 4.1%
33 Shoreview $79,485 4.9% 4.6%
34 Medina $126,161 3.5% 6.6%
35 Oak Grove $85,250 2.2% 6.4%
36 Vadnais Heights $73,208 7.4% 3.6%
37 Savage $94,432 5.1% 5.4%
38 Ramsey $83,115 3.2% 6.3%
39 Cottage Grove $82,485 4.7% 5.3%
40 Albertville $96,896 0.8% 7.9%
41 Corcoran $102,477 2.3% 8.3%
42 Plymouth $84,321 5.4% 5.3%
43 Minnetonka $80,068 5.0% 5.4%
44 Elk River $74,772 4.5% 5.4%
45 Monticello $73,151 6.5% 4.9%
46 Eagan $80,247 6.4% 5.2%
47 White Bear Lake $61,672 5.3% 4.4%
48 Mound $72,184 8.2% 4.5%
49 Isanti $56,699 7.2% 3.5%
50 Ham Lake $89,949 4.5% 7.1%
51 Belle Plaine $70,983 3.5% 6.4%
52 Apple Valley $80,609 5.6% 5.8%
53 Stillwater $75,200 7.4% 5.3%
54 Blaine $73,496 4.3% 6.6%
55 Golden Valley $82,325 10.6% 5.0%
56 Shakopee $79,670 6.5% 5.9%
57 East Bethel $87,441 5.5% 7.5%
58 Hutchinson $49,945 7.1% 3.8%
59 Falcon Heights $66,635 8.8% 5.0%
60 St. Louis Park $65,151 7.4% 5.2%
61 Stewartville $49,428 8.7% 3.1%
62 Forest Lake $71,995 7.0% 6.3%
63 Oakdale $67,822 5.5% 6.5%
64 Crystal $59,860 9.0% 4.7%
65 East Grand Forks $51,167 10.7% 2.2%
66 North Branch $67,220 7.1% 5.9%
67 Rochester $63,472 10.1% 4.8%
68 Roseville $62,464 10.7% 4.4%
69 Hermantown $69,143 8.3% 5.7%
70 Baxter $58,662 8.5% 5.0%
71 North Mankato $56,488 9.0% 5.0%
72 New Ulm $45,911 7.2% 4.5%
73 Arden Hills $85,028 8.1% 8.0%
74 Thief River Falls $41,115 9.4% 2.5%
75 Lake City $48,390 5.6% 5.2%
76 New Brighton $61,324 10.6% 5.2%
77 Hastings $64,119 7.6% 7.1%
78 Buffalo $61,884 10.0% 5.6%
79 St. Anthony $54,943 8.3% 5.7%
80 Fairmont $51,809 9.7% 5.1%
81 Maplewood $60,323 9.3% 6.0%
82 Inver Grove Heights $64,635 8.2% 7.4%
83 Glencoe $54,618 15.6% 4.5%
84 St. Peter $56,071 24.7% 3.8%
85 Burnsville $63,997 9.7% 6.5%
86 Montevideo $44,503 12.7% 3.4%
87 Bloomington $63,053 9.2% 6.7%
88 Coon Rapids $64,694 7.8% 7.9%
89 Northfield $58,375 10.7% 5.7%
90 Litchfield $50,668 10.8% 5.3%
91 Marshall $47,042 18.2% 4.1%
92 Big Lake $63,941 12.2% 6.7%
93 Redwood Falls $44,784 8.6% 5.8%
94 Owatonna $52,790 9.4% 6.7%
95 St. Francis $64,609 11.2% 7.6%
96 Robbinsdale $57,012 9.2% 7.7%
97 Brooklyn Park $62,656 10.3% 7.7%
98 Morris $41,975 33.9% 3.3%
99 Detroit Lakes $39,783 18.0% 4.2%
100 Mounds View $59,121 10.7% 7.8%
Never miss an opportunity that’s right for you.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

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