Best PlacesSummit-University, St. Paul, MN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Summit-University, St. Paul, 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.
Summit-University, St. Paul ranks 2,451st of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores best on state infrastructure, and noise is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Summit-University, St. Paul
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.
Summit-University, St. Paul's strengths and weaknesses
Where Summit-University, St. Paul ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 86% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than 85% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 83% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 77% of neighborhoods
- Short commute21.0 minutes each way, better than 74% of neighborhoods
Where Summit-University, St. Paul ranks low
- QuietBetter than only 12% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$1,682 a month, better than only 14% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 28% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than only 33% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Summit-University, St. Paul
A household needs to earn about $98,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Summit-University, St. Paul home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $73,967, 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 Summit-University, St. Paul's effective rate of 1.21%, 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 Summit-University, St. Paul
Summit-University, St. Paul runs younger than the country, 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 Summit-University, St. Paul.
Who works in Summit-University, St. Paul, and how
Work in Summit-University, St. Paul centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 65%
- Work from home 21%
- Transit, walk, or bike 14%
Life in Summit-University, St. Paul
Summit-University, St. Paul has more parkland per resident than 69% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of Summit-University, St. Paul and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Summit-University, St. Paul, month by month
Summit-University, St. Paul sees roughly 128 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 26, with lows near 12. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 19° | 12° |
| April | 57° | 46° | 37° |
| July | 85° | 74° | 65° |
| October | 60° | 50° | 43° |
Flying in and out of Summit-University, St. Paul
Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain sits about 6 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 Summit-University, St. Paul
Schools across Summit-University, St. Paul average a C, better than 36% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Capitol Hill Magnet/rondoA− · 55% proficient
- Jj Hill MontessoriD+ · 24% proficient
- Global Arts Plus LowerD · 20% proficient
Top middle schools
- Hidden River Middle SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Top high schools
- Central Senior HighB+ · 56% proficient
- Alc Gateway To CollegeD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Summit-University, St. Paul school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Summit-University, St. Paul 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 Summit-University, St. Paul against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Summit-University, St. Paul
Is Summit-University, St. Paul a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Summit-University, St. Paul ranks 2,451st of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on state infrastructure, biking, and transit, and lowest on noise and childcare costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Summit-University, St. Paul expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $353,197. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $73,967 median income, cost of living beats 60% of neighborhoods.
Is Summit-University, St. Paul safe?
Summit-University, St. Paul is safer than 33% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $592 per resident a year.
Compare Summit-University, St. Paul with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Summit-University, St. Paul. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Summit-University, St. Paul 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.
Summit-University, St. Paul detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Summit-University, St. Paul: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Summit-University, St. Paul: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Summit-University, St. Paul: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Summit-University, St. Paul: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Summit-University, St. Paul 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.