Best Places55975, MN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 55975, 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.
55975 ranks 10,962nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and internet speeds rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 55975
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.
55975's strengths and weaknesses
Where 55975 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 143 pleasant days a year, better than 87% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 79% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 77% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 75% of zip codes
Where 55975 ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 30% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 38% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 43% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 55975
A household needs to earn about $58,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 55975 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $74,090, 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 55975's effective rate of 0.80%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 55975
55975 runs older than the country, 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 55975.
Who works in 55975, and how
Work in 55975 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 55975
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 55975.
What the weather is like in 55975, month by month
55975 sees roughly 143 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 55975
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 92 miles away.
The best schools in and around 55975
Schools across 55975 average a C+, better than 48% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Chatfield Elementary SchoolA · 62% proficient
- Grand Meadow ElementaryA− · 60% proficient
- Bear Cave Intermediate SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
Top middle schools
- Stewartville MiddleC+ · 35% proficient
- Grand Meadow MiddleD− · 17% proficient
Top high schools
- Chatfield SecondaryB · 50% proficient
- Stewartville Senior HighB · 48% proficient
- Grand Meadow Senior HighC+ · 37% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 55975 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
55975 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 55975 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 55975
Is 55975 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 55975 ranks 10,962nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, the weather, and heat safety, and lowest on internet speeds and taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 55975 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $221,961. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $74,090 median income, cost of living beats 53% of zip codes.
Is 55975 safe?
Yes, 55975 is safer than 75% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $244 per resident a year.
Compare 55975 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 55975. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 55975 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.
55975 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 55975: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 55975: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 55975: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 55975: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
55975 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.