Best Places56477, MN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 56477, 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.
56477 ranks 17,548th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 56477
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.
56477's strengths and weaknesses
Where 56477 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 142 pleasant days a year, better than 87% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 75% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 72% of zip codes
Where 56477 ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 28% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 31% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 56477
A household needs to earn about $51,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 56477 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $64,296, 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 56477'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, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 56477
56477's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 56477.
Who works in 56477, and how
Work in 56477 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 56477
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 56477.
What the weather is like in 56477, month by month
56477 sees roughly 142 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 79 degrees. January highs sit near 20, with lows near 3. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20° | 11° | 3° |
| April | 51° | 39° | 30° |
| July | 79° | 68° | 58° |
| October | 55° | 44° | 36° |
Flying in and out of 56477
The nearest airport, Brainerd Lakes Regional, is about 47 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, about 150 miles away.
The best schools in and around 56477
Schools across 56477 average a B−, better than 63% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Sebeka ElementaryA− · 60% proficient
- Menahga ElementaryB+ · 53% proficient
- Pine River-backus ElementaryB− · 41% proficient
Top middle schools
- Wadena-deer Creek 5th And 6th GradeB · 45% proficient
Top high schools
- Wadena-deer Creek Senior HighB− · 42% proficient
- Menahga High SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Sebeka SecondaryC+ · 40% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 56477 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
56477 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 56477 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 56477
Is 56477 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 56477 ranks 17,548th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, the weather, and heat safety, and lowest on cell coverage and distance from a big city. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 56477 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $190,443. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $64,296 median income, cost of living beats 33% of zip codes.
Is 56477 safe?
Yes, 56477 is safer than 65% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $290 per resident a year.
Compare 56477 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 56477. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 56477 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.
56477 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 56477: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 56477: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 56477: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 56477: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
56477 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.