Best Places55056, MN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 55056, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
55056 ranks 6,928th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on civic engagement by a wide margin, and taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 55056
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
55056's strengths and weaknesses
Where 55056 ranks high
- Voter turnoutBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 88% of zip codes
Where 55056 ranks low
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Short commute31.4 minutes each way, better than only 22% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,041 a month, better than only 30% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 30% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 34% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 55056
A household needs to earn about $89,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 55056 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $94,294, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 55056's effective rate of 1.08%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 55056
55056's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 55056.
Who works in 55056, and how
Work in 55056 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 55056
55056 has more parkland per resident than 70% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 55056 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 55056, month by month
55056 sees roughly 92 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 81 degrees. January highs sit near 24, with lows near 9. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24° | 16° | 9° |
| April | 54° | 42° | 33° |
| July | 81° | 70° | 59° |
| October | 57° | 47° | 39° |
Flying in and out of 55056
Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain sits about 45 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 17.5 million passengers in 2025, with 195 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 55056
Schools across 55056 average a B, better than 61% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Cambridge Intermediate SchoolA− · 57% proficient
- Lakeside El.B+ · 55% proficient
- Sunrise River Elementary SchoolB · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- Cambridge Middle SchoolB · 43% proficient
- Chisago Lakes MiddleB− · 41% proficient
- North Branch Area Middle SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top high schools
- Chisago Lakes Senior HighB+ · 58% proficient
- Cambridge-isanti High SchoolB · 50% proficient
- North Branch Area High SchoolB− · 43% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 55056 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
55056 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 55056 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 55056
Is 55056 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 55056 ranks 6,928th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on civic engagement, few empty homes, and state infrastructure, and lowest on taxes and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 55056 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $326,880. The overall cost of living runs about 6% below the national average. Set against a $94,294 median income, cost of living beats 77% of zip codes.
Is 55056 safe?
Yes, 55056 is safer than 91% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $196 per resident a year.
Compare 55056 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 55056. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 55056 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
55056 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 55056: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 55056: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 55056: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 55056: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
55056 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.