Best Places56021, MN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 56021, 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.
56021 ranks 4,435th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 56021
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.
56021's strengths and weaknesses
Where 56021 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Short commute18.9 minutes each way, better than 89% of zip codes
Where 56021 ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 27% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 28% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$989 a month, better than only 34% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 56021
A household needs to earn about $79,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 56021 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $93,195, 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 56021's effective rate of 0.95%, 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 56021
56021'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 56021.
Who works in 56021, and how
Work in 56021 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 56021
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 56021.
What the weather is like in 56021, month by month
56021 sees roughly 120 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 83 degrees. January highs sit near 25, with lows near 9. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25° | 16° | 9° |
| April | 56° | 44° | 36° |
| July | 83° | 73° | 63° |
| October | 59° | 48° | 40° |
Flying in and out of 56021
Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain sits about 69 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 17.5 million passengers in 2025, with 195 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 56021
Schools across 56021 average a B+, better than 76% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Lk Crystal Wellcome Memorial ElA · 70% proficient
- Nicollet Elementary SchoolA− · 60% proficient
- Jefferson ElementaryB− · 43% proficient
Top high schools
- New Ulm High SchoolA− · 67% proficient
- Nicollet High SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Lk Crystal-wellcome Memorial SecC+ · 39% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 56021 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
56021 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 56021 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 56021
Is 56021 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 56021 ranks 4,435th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, low crime, and state infrastructure, and lowest on a weak job market and taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 56021 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $295,462. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $93,195 median income, cost of living beats 81% of zip codes.
Is 56021 safe?
Yes, 56021 is safer than 92% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $181 per resident a year.
Compare 56021 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 56021. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 56021 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.
56021 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 56021: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 56021: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 56021: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 56021: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
56021 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.