Best PlacesNear North, Minneapolis, MN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Near North, Minneapolis, 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.
Near North, Minneapolis ranks 4,186th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cell coverage by a wide margin, and empty homes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Near North, Minneapolis
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.
Near North, Minneapolis' strengths and weaknesses
Where Near North, Minneapolis ranks high
- Cell coverageBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than 86% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 86% of neighborhoods
- Short commute19.2 minutes each way, better than 84% of neighborhoods
Where Near North, Minneapolis ranks low
- Low vacancyBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 12% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$1,682 a month, better than only 14% of neighborhoods
- School gradeD, better than only 14% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Near North, Minneapolis
A household needs to earn about $82,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Near North, Minneapolis home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $69,249, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 Near North, Minneapolis' effective rate of 1.01%, 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 Near North, Minneapolis
Near North, Minneapolis runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Near North, Minneapolis.
Who works in Near North, Minneapolis, and how
Work in Near North, Minneapolis centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 66%
- Work from home 21%
- Transit, walk, or bike 13%
Life in Near North, Minneapolis
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Near North, Minneapolis.
What the weather is like in Near North, Minneapolis, month by month
Near North, Minneapolis sees roughly 123 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 25, with lows near 11. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25° | 18° | 11° |
| April | 56° | 45° | 36° |
| July | 85° | 74° | 64° |
| October | 60° | 50° | 41° |
Flying in and out of Near North, Minneapolis
Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain sits about 8 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 Near North, Minneapolis
Schools across Near North, Minneapolis average a D, better than 14% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Best AcademyD · 18% proficient
- Hall Academy ElementaryD− · 14% proficient
- Cityview ElementaryF · 10% proficient
Top middle schools
- Banaadir AcademyD+ · 25% proficient
- Franklin MiddleF · 5% proficient
Top high schools
- Fair HighB− · 43% proficient
- Banaadir SecondaryD+ · 25% proficient
- North HighF · 8% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Near North, Minneapolis school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Near North, Minneapolis 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 Near North, Minneapolis against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Near North, Minneapolis
Is Near North, Minneapolis a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Near North, Minneapolis ranks 4,186th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on cell coverage, transit, and state infrastructure, and lowest on empty homes and crime. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Near North, Minneapolis expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $305,641. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $69,249 median income, cost of living beats 46% of neighborhoods.
Is Near North, Minneapolis safe?
Near North, Minneapolis is safer than 7% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $959 per resident a year.
Compare Near North, Minneapolis with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Near North, Minneapolis. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Near North, Minneapolis 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.
Near North, Minneapolis detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Near North, Minneapolis: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Near North, Minneapolis: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Near North, Minneapolis: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Near North, Minneapolis: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Near North, Minneapolis 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.