Best Places55949, MN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 55949, 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.
55949 ranks 11,356th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 55949
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.
55949's strengths and weaknesses
Where 55949 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 150 pleasant days a year, better than 89% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 75% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 70% of zip codes
Where 55949 ranks low
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 24% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 24% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 35% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 55949
A household needs to earn about $66,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 55949 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $82,746, 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 55949's effective rate of 0.76%, 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 55949
55949'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 55949.
Who works in 55949, and how
Work in 55949 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 77%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in 55949
55949 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 91% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 55949 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 55949, month by month
55949 sees roughly 150 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 81 degrees. January highs sit near 24, with lows near 11. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24° | 17° | 11° |
| April | 55° | 44° | 36° |
| July | 81° | 71° | 62° |
| October | 58° | 48° | 41° |
Flying in and out of 55949
The nearest airport, Rochester International, is about 31 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, about 102 miles away.
The best schools in and around 55949
Schools across 55949 average a B−, better than 56% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Rushford-peterson ElementaryB · 48% proficient
- Mabel-canton ElementaryB · 47% proficient
- Fillmore Central ElementaryB− · 42% proficient
Top middle schools
- Rushford-peterson MiddleB · 43% proficient
Top high schools
- Mabel-canton SecondaryA− · 62% proficient
- Lanesboro SecondaryB− · 43% proficient
- Rushford-peterson Senior HighC+ · 40% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 55949 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
55949 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 55949 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 55949
Is 55949 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 55949 ranks 11,356th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, the weather, and health care access, and lowest on taxes and empty homes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 55949 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $253,660. The overall cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. Set against a $82,746 median income, cost of living beats 64% of zip codes.
Is 55949 safe?
Yes, 55949 is safer than 64% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $293 per resident a year.
Compare 55949 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 55949. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 55949 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.
55949 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 55949: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 55949: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 55949: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 55949: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
55949 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.