Best Places55936, MN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 55936, 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.
55936 ranks 7,708th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and tree cover ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 55936
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.
55936's strengths and weaknesses
Where 55936 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 95% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 84% of zip codes
Where 55936 ranks low
- Tree shadeBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 28% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 33% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 55936
A household needs to earn about $71,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 55936 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $89,713, 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 55936's effective rate of 1.04%, 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 55936
55936'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 55936.
Who works in 55936, and how
Work in 55936 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 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 55936
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 55936.
What the weather is like in 55936, month by month
55936 sees roughly 102 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 83 degrees. January highs sit near 26, with lows near 8. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 17° | 8° |
| April | 57° | 44° | 33° |
| July | 83° | 71° | 60° |
| October | 62° | 49° | 38° |
Flying in and out of 55936
The nearest airport, Rochester International, is about 14 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, about 87 miles away.
The best schools in and around 55936
Schools across 55936 average a C+, better than 50% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Grand Meadow ElementaryA− · 60% proficient
- Bear Cave Intermediate SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
- Southland ElementaryB · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- Southland MiddleC+ · 37% proficient
- Stewartville MiddleC+ · 35% proficient
- Grand Meadow MiddleD− · 17% proficient
Top high schools
- Stewartville Senior HighB · 48% proficient
- Grand Meadow Senior HighC+ · 37% proficient
- Southland Senior HighC · 34% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 55936 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
55936 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 55936 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 55936
Is 55936 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 55936 ranks 7,708th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, low crime, and state infrastructure, and lowest on tree cover and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 55936 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $263,384. The overall cost of living runs about 4% below the national average. Set against a $89,713 median income, cost of living beats 70% of zip codes.
Is 55936 safe?
Yes, 55936 is safer than 95% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $165 per resident a year.
Compare 55936 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 55936. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 55936 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.
55936 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 55936: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 55936: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 55936: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 55936: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
55936 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.