Best Places56543, MN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 56543, 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.
56543 ranks 17,902nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and tree cover ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 56543
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.
56543's strengths and weaknesses
Where 56543 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 141 pleasant days a year, better than 86% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Short commute21.2 minutes each way, better than 80% of zip codes
Where 56543 ranks low
- Tree shadeBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 22% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 56543
A household needs to earn about $49,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 56543 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $82,892, 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 56543'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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 56543
56543 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 56543.
Who works in 56543, and how
Work in 56543 centers on agriculture & forestry and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 56543
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 56543.
What the weather is like in 56543, month by month
56543 sees roughly 141 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 82 degrees. January highs sit near 20, with lows near 5. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20° | 12° | 5° |
| April | 52° | 41° | 33° |
| July | 82° | 72° | 62° |
| October | 56° | 46° | 38° |
Flying in and out of 56543
The nearest airport, Hector International, is about 50 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, about 178 miles away.
The best schools in and around 56543
Schools across 56543 average a C+, better than 42% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Rothsay ElementaryB+ · 52% proficient
- Breckenridge ElementaryB · 45% proficient
- Campbell-tintah ElementaryC− · 28% proficient
Top middle schools
- Breckenridge MiddleD · 23% proficient
Top high schools
- Breckenridge Senior HighB− · 43% proficient
- Rothsay SecondaryB− · 43% proficient
- Campbell-tintah SecondaryC · 34% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 56543 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
56543 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 56543 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 56543
Is 56543 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 56543 ranks 17,902nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, heat safety, and the weather, and lowest on tree cover 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 56543 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $187,197. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $82,892 median income, cost of living beats 65% of zip codes.
Is 56543 safe?
56543 is safer than 32% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $386 per resident a year.
Compare 56543 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 56543. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 56543 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.
56543 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 56543: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 56543: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 56543: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 56543: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
56543 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.