Today we are checking out the best places to retire in Minnesota, because who wouldn’t want to live in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”. You have to admit it – it sounds tempting. Also, Minnesota has one of the highest standards of living in the United States, which makes it even more appealing for retirees.
The 60% of this state’s residents live in metropolitan area Minneapolis–Saint Paul nicknamed “Twin Cities”. This is where the magic happens, since Minneapolis and Saint Paul are state’s main centers for almost everything. Don’t let the nickname fool you. These two cities couldn’t be different. Minneapolis is a modern American city with lots of skyscrapers and Saint Paul (you can guess from the name) is more of a European style city.
But, what is with the rest of the state, you will ask? Well, the rest of the state is where less glamorous things happen like agriculture, farms, forests, mines and similar. This, however, doesn’t have to be a bad thing. If you are tired of “big city life”, this region could easily be your getaway place.
To determine best places to retire in Minnesota we used 20 most livable places in Minnesota (with a population greater than 5,000) according to Area Vibes. After that, we checked each place for the cost of living, the number of physicians per capita (100,000), crime rates and residents aged 65 years and over. These information were taken from Sperling’s Best Places and U.S. Census and separate rankings from 1 to 20 were made for each of these factors. After we had summed up the scores for each place in our “Retirement Score”, we got what we were looking for. A final word of advice – don’t miss out 10 cheapest countries to live like a king.
10. Northfield
Retirement Score: 35
Cost of Living: 4% more expensive than U.S. average
Physicians per Capita: 165
Crime Rates: 42
Residents Aged 65 and Over: 12%
Located on the Canon River, Northfield is a historically significant city. Famous Jesse James and his James-Younger Gang were defeated here, and that defeat meant the end of this gang.
9. Victoria
Retirement Score: 35
Cost of Living: 33% more expensive than U.S. average
Physicians per Capita: 189
Crime Rates: 15,5
Residents Aged 65 and Over: 8,5%
One of the smaller cities on our list, Victoria is a perfect place for those who want to feel safe since it has the smallest crime rate.
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8. Plymouth
Retirement Score: 35
Cost of Living: 27% more expensive than U.S. average
Physicians per Capita: 439
Crime Rates: 35,5
Residents Aged 65 and Over: 12,1
This city’s population is steadily growing, and it has become the third largest suburb of Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. Winters here can be very cold while the summer is hot and humid.
7. St. Peter
Retirement Score: 38
Cost of Living: 2% cheaper than U.S. average
Physicians per Capita: 162
Crime Rates: 41
Residents Aged 65 and Over: 11,6%
St. Peter is known for having a lot of churches, so if you are religious, this city will feel like home. The city had a catastrophe in 1998, when a tornado hit the town, destroying 56 single-family houses and 51 apartment units.
6. Shorewood
Retirement Score: 42
Cost of Living: 50% more expensive than U.S. average
Physicians per Capita: 439
Crime Rates: 19
Residents Aged 65 and Over: 12,5%
The most expensive city on our list of 10 best places to retire in Minnesota, Shorewood is a smaller city located on Lake Minnetonka.
5. Mendota Heights
Retirement Score: 42
Cost of Living: 34% more expensive than U.S. average
Physicians per Capita: 156
Crime Rates: 26
Residents Aged 65 and Over: 17,7%
With a catchy name, this city has developed a reputation in the whole United States. Mendota Heights represents one of the cities with the highest income in the entire country. That may explain the slightly larger cost of living.
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4. Kasson
Retirement Score: 47
Cost of Living: 1% cheaper than U.S. average
Physicians per Capita: 65
Crime Rates: 25
Residents Aged 65 and Over: 11,3%
You don’t want to get badly sick in this city. With almost optimal conditions for retirement, Kasson’s only weak side is a small number of physicians per capita.
3. Winona
Retirement Score: 48
Cost of Living: 5% cheaper than U.S. average
Physicians per Capita: 113
Crime Rates: 37
Residents Aged 65 and Over: 13,3%
The city has been named after legendary figure Winona, who jumped off the cliff to avoid marrying a man whom she did not love. It is among the warmest cities in Minnesota.
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2. Rochester
Retirement Score: 58
Cost of Living: 1%more expensive than U.S. average
Physicians per Capita: 1,984
Crime Rates: 36,5
Residents Aged 65 and Over: 12,7%
Unlike Kasson, you don’t have to worry about illness in Rochester. The city has almost 4 times more physicians than Minnesota average. Also, there are more than 100 parks, so you can embark on long walks.
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1. New Ulm
Retirement Score: 56
Cost of Living: 6% cheaper than U.S. average
Physicians per Capita: 178
Crime Rates: 32,8
Residents Aged 65 and Over: 18,6%
When you look at the figures, New Ulm deserves to be at the top among 10 best places to retire in Minnesota. It is the cheapest city on the list and also has the largest percentage of residents aged 65 and over. Interesting fact about New Ulm is that this city represents the nation’s polka capital.
