Best Places55811, MN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 55811, 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.
55811 ranks 7,151st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low disaster risk by a wide margin, and taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 55811
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.
55811's strengths and weaknesses
Where 55811 ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Short commute16.3 minutes each way, better than 95% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 88% of zip codes
Where 55811 ranks low
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 24% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 27% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 28% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 29% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 55811
A household needs to earn about $93,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 55811 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $85,522; 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 55811's effective rate of 1.12%, 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 55811
55811's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 55811.
Who works in 55811, and how
Work in 55811 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 55811
55811 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 66% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 86% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 55811 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 55811, month by month
55811 sees roughly 91 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 81 degrees. January highs sit near 23, with lows near 5. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23° | 14° | 5° |
| April | 49° | 38° | 28° |
| July | 81° | 68° | 56° |
| October | 56° | 46° | 37° |
Flying in and out of 55811
The nearest airport, Duluth International, is about 2 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, about 143 miles away.
The best schools in and around 55811
Schools across 55811 average a B−, better than 60% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Homecroft ElementaryA · 63% proficient
- Pike Lake ElementaryA− · 62% proficient
- Lowell Elementary Spanish ImmersionA− · 60% proficient
Top middle schools
- Hermantown MiddleB+ · 50% proficient
- Ordean East Middle SchoolB+ · 50% proficient
- Lincoln Park Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- East High SchoolA− · 59% proficient
- Hermantown Senior HighB+ · 58% proficient
- Proctor Senior HighB+ · 53% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 55811 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
55811 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 55811 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 55811 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 71% of zip codes and 12% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 56% of zip codes and health care access beats 72%.
Common questions about living in 55811
Is 55811 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 55811 ranks 7,151st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low disaster risk, clean air, and short commutes, and lowest on taxes and a weak job market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 55811 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $339,315. The overall cost of living runs about 9% below the national average. Set against a $85,522 median income, cost of living beats 71% of zip codes.
Is 55811 safe?
55811 is safer than 48% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $363 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 55811?
July highs average about 81 degrees, and January highs near 23 with lows near 5. That works out to about 91 pleasant days a year, more than 56% of zip codes.
Is 55811 good for families?
Schools beat 60% of zip codes, crime safety beats 48%, and childcare runs $948 a month.
Compare 55811 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 55811. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 55811 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.
55811 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 55811: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 55811: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 55811: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 55811: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
55811 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.