Best Places55926, MN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 55926, 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.
55926 ranks 7,840th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on the weather by a wide margin, and civic engagement ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 55926
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.
55926's strengths and weaknesses
Where 55926 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 184 pleasant days a year, better than 96% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 80% of zip codes
Where 55926 ranks low
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 22% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 55926
A household needs to earn about $64,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 55926 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $97,975, 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 55926's effective rate of 0.88%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 55926
55926'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 55926.
Who works in 55926, and how
Work in 55926 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in 55926
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 55926.
What the weather is like in 55926, month by month
55926 sees roughly 184 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 82 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° | 18° | 12° |
| April | 57° | 45° | 37° |
| July | 82° | 72° | 63° |
| October | 60° | 50° | 41° |
Flying in and out of 55926
The nearest airport, Rochester International, is about 16 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, about 83 miles away.
The best schools in and around 55926
Schools across 55926 average a C+, better than 44% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Grand Meadow ElementaryA− · 60% proficient
- Southland ElementaryB · 50% proficient
- Hayfield ElementaryC− · 30% proficient
Top middle schools
- Southland MiddleC+ · 37% proficient
- Grand Meadow MiddleD− · 17% proficient
Top high schools
- Grand Meadow Senior HighC+ · 37% proficient
- Southland Senior HighC · 34% proficient
- Hayfield SecondaryC− · 29% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 55926 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
55926 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 55926 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 55926
Is 55926 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 55926 ranks 7,840th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, state infrastructure, and low crime, and lowest on civic engagement and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 55926 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $240,916. The overall cost of living runs about 4% below the national average. Set against a $97,975 median income, cost of living beats 78% of zip codes.
Is 55926 safe?
Yes, 55926 is safer than 88% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $198 per resident a year.
Compare 55926 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 55926. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 55926 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.
55926 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 55926: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 55926: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 55926: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 55926: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
55926 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.