Best Places55960, MN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 55960, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
55960 ranks 710th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 55960
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.
55960's strengths and weaknesses
Where 55960 ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Household income$140,432 median, better than 94% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 93% of zip codes
Where 55960 ranks low
- Cheap childcare$1,677 a month, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 33% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 36% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 55960
A household needs to earn about $141,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 55960 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $140,432; 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 55960's effective rate of 0.91%, 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 55960
55960 runs older than the country, though fewer residents are over 65 than the national share.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 55960.
Who works in 55960, and how
Work in 55960 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 55960
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 55960.
What the weather is like in 55960, month by month
55960 sees roughly 88 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 82 degrees. January highs sit near 26, with lows near 13. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 19° | 13° |
| April | 56° | 45° | 38° |
| July | 82° | 73° | 64° |
| October | 60° | 50° | 43° |
Flying in and out of 55960
The nearest airport, Rochester International, is about 17 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, about 61 miles away.
The best schools in and around 55960
Schools across 55960 average an A−, better than 80% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Byron Intermediate SchoolA · 69% proficient
- Pine Island ElementaryA · 67% proficient
- Gibbs ElementaryA− · 56% proficient
Top middle schools
- Pine Island MiddleA− · 58% proficient
- Zumbrota-mazeppa Middle SchoolA− · 53% proficient
- Byron Middle SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
Top high schools
- Pine Island SecondaryA− · 62% proficient
- Zumbrota-mazeppa Senior HighB+ · 57% proficient
- Byron Senior High SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 55960 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
55960 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 55960 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 55960
Is 55960 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 55960 ranks 710th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low crime, what local pay buys, and heat safety, and lowest on childcare costs and taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 55960 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $533,056. The overall cost of living runs about 2% below the national average. Set against a $140,432 median income, cost of living beats 97% of zip codes.
Is 55960 safe?
Yes, 55960 is safer than 99% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $132 per resident a year.
Compare 55960 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 55960. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 55960 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.
55960 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 55960: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 55960: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 55960: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 55960: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
55960 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.