Best Places55420, MN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 55420, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
55420 ranks 6,035th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on biking by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 55420
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.
55420's strengths and weaknesses
Where 55420 ranks high
- BikingBetter than 97% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 92% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 91% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 90% of zip codes
Where 55420 ranks low
- Cheap childcare$1,682 a month, better than only 3% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 28% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 55420
A household needs to earn about $93,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 55420 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $86,060; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 55420's effective rate of 1.09%, 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 55420
55420'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 55420.
Who works in 55420, and how
Work in 55420 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 65%
- Work from home 20%
- Transit, walk, or bike 15%
Life in 55420
55420 has more parkland per resident than 80% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 55420 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 55420, month by month
55420 sees roughly 103 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 27, with lows near 10. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 18° | 10° |
| April | 58° | 46° | 35° |
| July | 87° | 75° | 65° |
| October | 62° | 51° | 41° |
Flying in and out of 55420
Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain sits about 4 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 55420
Schools across 55420 average a C+, better than 45% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Hillcrest ElementaryB · 48% proficient
- Success Academy Bloomington ElemC− · 27% proficient
- Indian Mounds ElementaryD · 20% proficient
Top middle schools
- Oak Grove MiddleC · 34% proficient
- Valley View MiddleD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Kennedy Senior HighC+ · 36% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 55420 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
55420 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 55420 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 55420 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 77% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 20% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 55420
Is 55420 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 55420 ranks 6,035th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on biking, transit, and fast internet, and lowest on childcare costs and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 55420 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $341,519. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $86,060 median income, cost of living beats 77% of zip codes.
Is 55420 safe?
55420 is safer than 35% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $395 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 55420?
July highs average about 87 degrees, and January highs near 27 with lows near 10. That works out to about 103 pleasant days a year, more than 65% of zip codes.
Is 55420 good for families?
Schools beat 45% of zip codes, crime safety beats 35%, and childcare runs $1,682 a month.
Compare 55420 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 55420. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 55420 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.
55420 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 55420: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 55420: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 55420: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 55420: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
55420 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.