Best PlacesGenola, MN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Genola, 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.
Genola ranks 11,628th of 50,333 U.S. towns on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Genola
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.
Genola's strengths and weaknesses
Where Genola ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 99% of towns
- State infrastructureBetter than 93% of towns
- Heat safetyBetter than 90% of towns
- Disaster safetyBetter than 78% of towns
- Nice weatherabout 110 pleasant days a year, better than 74% of towns
Where Genola ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 19% of towns
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 20% of towns
- Short commute31.6 minutes each way, better than only 26% of towns
- Internet speedBetter than only 26% of towns
- Tree shadeBetter than only 31% of towns
What it costs to buy a home in Genola
A household needs to earn about $80,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Genola home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $81,601, 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 Genola's effective rate of 0.72%, 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 Genola
Genola'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 Genola.
Who works in Genola, and how
Work in Genola centers on health care & social 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 88%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in Genola
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Genola.
What the weather is like in Genola, month by month
Genola sees roughly 110 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 81 degrees. January highs sit near 22, with lows near 6. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22° | 14° | 6° |
| April | 52° | 41° | 32° |
| July | 81° | 69° | 58° |
| October | 56° | 46° | 38° |
Flying in and out of Genola
The nearest airport, St. Cloud Regional, is about 28 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, about 85 miles away.
The best schools in and around Genola
Schools across Genola average a B, better than 66% of towns.
Top elementary schools
- Pioneer ElementaryA− · 55% proficient
- Lincoln ElementaryD+ · 25% proficient
Top middle schools
- Community MiddleD+ · 27% proficient
Top high schools
- Healy SecondaryB− · 42% proficient
- Little Falls Senior HighC+ · 40% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Genola school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Genola 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 Genola against the other 50,332 towns.
Common questions about living in Genola
Is Genola a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Genola ranks 11,628th of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on low crime, state infrastructure, and heat safety, 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 Genola expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $309,893. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $81,601 median income, cost of living beats 59% of towns.
Is Genola safe?
Yes, Genola is safer than 99% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $129 per resident a year.
Compare Genola with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Genola. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Genola 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.
Genola detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Genola: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Genola: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Genola: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Genola: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Genola 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.