Best Places56014, MN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 56014, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
56014 ranks 23,212th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 56014
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.
56014's strengths and weaknesses
Where 56014 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 127 pleasant days a year, better than 79% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 64% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$776 a month, better than 64% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 63% of zip codes
Where 56014 ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 23% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 56014
A household needs to earn about $31,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 56014 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $61,640, 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 56014's effective rate of 0.84%, 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 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 56014
56014 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 56014.
Who works in 56014, and how
Work in 56014 centers on agriculture & forestry and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 56014
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 56014.
What the weather is like in 56014, month by month
56014 sees roughly 127 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 82 degrees. January highs sit near 25, with lows near 11. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25° | 17° | 11° |
| April | 56° | 45° | 36° |
| July | 82° | 72° | 63° |
| October | 60° | 49° | 41° |
Flying in and out of 56014
The nearest airport, Mason City Municipal, is about 38 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, about 95 miles away.
The best schools in and around 56014
Schools across 56014 average a B−, better than 60% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- North Iowa Elem Buffalo CenterA− · 57% proficient
- United South Central ElementaryB+ · 51% proficient
- Blue Earth Area ElementaryC · 31% proficient
Top middle schools
- North Iowa Middle SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Blue Earth Area MiddleC · 33% proficient
Top high schools
- North Iowa High SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- United South Central High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Blue Earth Area SecondaryC+ · 37% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 56014 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
56014 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 56014 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 56014
Is 56014 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 56014 ranks 23,212th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, the weather, and health care access, and lowest on a weak job market and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 56014 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $117,411. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $61,640 median income, cost of living beats 47% of zip codes.
Is 56014 safe?
56014 is safer than 41% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $345 per resident a year.
Compare 56014 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 56014. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 56014 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.
56014 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 56014: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 56014: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 56014: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 56014: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
56014 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.