Best Places55303, MN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 55303, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
55303 ranks 2,749th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 55303
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.
55303's strengths and weaknesses
Where 55303 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 89% of zip codes
Where 55303 ranks low
- Cheap childcare$1,682 a month, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 24% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 39% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 42% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 55303
A household needs to earn about $94,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 55303 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $106,498, 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 55303's effective rate of 0.92%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 55303
55303'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 55303.
Who works in 55303, and how
Work in 55303 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 80%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 55303
55303 has more parkland per resident than 79% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 55303 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 55303, month by month
55303 sees roughly 123 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 84 degrees. January highs sit near 26, with lows near 12. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 19° | 12° |
| April | 56° | 46° | 37° |
| July | 84° | 75° | 64° |
| October | 60° | 51° | 43° |
Flying in and out of 55303
Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain sits about 27 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 55303
Schools across 55303 average a B−, better than 57% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Rum River ElementaryA · 70% proficient
- Parker ElementaryA · 68% proficient
- Twin Lakes ElementaryA · 64% proficient
Top middle schools
- Salk Middle SchoolB+ · 50% proficient
- Anoka Middle School For The ArtsB− · 40% proficient
- St. Francis MiddleC · 34% proficient
Top high schools
- Elk River Senior HighA− · 60% proficient
- St. Francis HighB · 48% proficient
- Coon Rapids High SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 55303 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
55303 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 55303 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 55303 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 91% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 15% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 77% of zip codes and health care access beats 60%.
Common questions about living in 55303
Is 55303 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 55303 ranks 2,749th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, state infrastructure, and what local pay buys, and lowest on childcare costs and taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 55303 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $354,100. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $106,498 median income, cost of living beats 91% of zip codes.
Is 55303 safe?
Yes, 55303 is safer than 89% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $206 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 55303?
July highs average about 84 degrees, and January highs near 26 with lows near 12. That works out to about 123 pleasant days a year, more than 77% of zip codes.
Is 55303 good for families?
Schools beat 57% of zip codes, crime safety beats 89%, and childcare runs $1,682 a month.
Compare 55303 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 55303. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 55303 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.
55303 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 55303: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 55303: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 55303: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 55303: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
55303 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.