Best PlacesKandiyohi County, MN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in Kandiyohi County, 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.
Kandiyohi County ranks 475th of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Kandiyohi County
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.
Kandiyohi County's strengths and weaknesses
Where Kandiyohi County ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 91% of counties
- Short commute17.4 minutes each way, better than 90% of counties
- BikingBetter than 87% of counties
- Nice weatherabout 135 pleasant days a year, better than 85% of counties
- Heat safetyBetter than 84% of counties
Where Kandiyohi County ranks low
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 14% of counties
- Local economyBetter than only 20% of counties
- Cheap childcare$948 a month, better than only 22% of counties
- QuietBetter than only 32% of counties
- Low property taxBetter than only 32% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in Kandiyohi County
A household needs to earn about $68,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Kandiyohi County home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $81,424, 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 Kandiyohi County's effective rate of 0.97%, 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 Kandiyohi County
Kandiyohi County'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 Kandiyohi County.
Who works in Kandiyohi County, and how
Work in Kandiyohi County centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in Kandiyohi County
Kandiyohi County has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most counties and less parkland per resident than most counties. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Kandiyohi County and thins out in others, which the map shows.
Is Kandiyohi County growing, and who is moving in?
Kandiyohi County has grown about 5% over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from Minneapolis, MN.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving Kandiyohi County go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in Kandiyohi County, month by month
Kandiyohi County sees roughly 135 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 83 degrees. January highs sit near 24, with lows near 8. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24° | 16° | 8° |
| April | 54° | 43° | 34° |
| July | 83° | 73° | 63° |
| October | 59° | 48° | 39° |
Flying in and out of Kandiyohi County
The nearest airport, St. Cloud Regional, is about 54 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, about 90 miles away.
The best schools in and around Kandiyohi County
Schools across Kandiyohi County average a B−, better than 60% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- Prairie Woods ElementaryA− · 59% proficient
- Buffalo Lake-hector ElementaryA− · 57% proficient
- Bold-bird Island ElementaryB · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- New London-spicer MiddleA− · 54% proficient
- Acgc Elementary Grades 5 And 6B · 45% proficient
- Willmar Middle SchoolC · 35% proficient
Top high schools
- New London-spicer Sr.B+ · 57% proficient
- Bold Senior High SchoolB · 47% proficient
- Willmar Senior HighB− · 43% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Kandiyohi County school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Kandiyohi County 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 Kandiyohi County against the other 3,143 counties.
Who Kandiyohi County suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 79% of counties, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 10% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 85% of counties and health care access beats 73%.
Common questions about living in Kandiyohi County
Is Kandiyohi County a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Kandiyohi County ranks 475th of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on state infrastructure, short commutes, and biking, and lowest on taxes and a weak job market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Kandiyohi County expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $253,268. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $81,424 median income, cost of living beats 79% of counties.
Is Kandiyohi County safe?
Yes, Kandiyohi County is safer than 80% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $278 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Kandiyohi County?
July highs average about 83 degrees, and January highs near 24 with lows near 8. That works out to about 135 pleasant days a year, more than 85% of counties.
Is Kandiyohi County good for families?
Schools beat 60% of counties, crime safety beats 80%, and childcare runs $948 a month.
Compare Kandiyohi County with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Kandiyohi County. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Kandiyohi County 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.
Kandiyohi County detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Kandiyohi County: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Kandiyohi County: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Kandiyohi County: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Kandiyohi County: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Kandiyohi County 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.
- U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program: population growth and net migration behind the population-change section.
- 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.