Best PlacesTodd County, MN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in Todd 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.
Todd County ranks 1,650th of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and internet speeds rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Todd 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.
Todd County's strengths and weaknesses
Where Todd County ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 91% of counties
- Disaster safetyBetter than 84% of counties
- Heat safetyBetter than 81% of counties
- Nice weatherabout 124 pleasant days a year, better than 77% of counties
- TransitBetter than 76% of counties
Where Todd County ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 9% of counties
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 14% of counties
- Local economyBetter than only 26% of counties
- Low vacancyBetter than only 28% of counties
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 29% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in Todd County
A household needs to earn about $56,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Todd County home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $68,309, 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 Todd County's effective rate of 0.95%, 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 Todd County
Todd 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 Todd County.
Who works in Todd County, and how
Work in Todd County centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in Todd County
Todd County has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most counties. That concentrates in some parts of Todd County and thins out in others, which the map shows.
Is Todd County growing, and who is moving in?
Todd County has grown about 7% over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from Minneapolis, MN.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving Todd County go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in Todd County, month by month
Todd County sees roughly 124 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 82 degrees. January highs sit near 21, with lows near 4. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21° | 12° | 4° |
| April | 52° | 41° | 31° |
| July | 82° | 70° | 60° |
| October | 56° | 46° | 37° |
Flying in and out of Todd County
The nearest airport, Brainerd Lakes Regional, is about 43 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, about 115 miles away.
The best schools in and around Todd County
Schools across Todd County average a C, better than 42% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- Osakis ElementaryA+ · 74% proficient
- Miltona ElementaryA · 72% proficient
- Pillager ElementaryA− · 58% proficient
Top middle schools
- Wadena-deer Creek 5th And 6th GradeB · 45% proficient
- Melrose MiddleB− · 42% proficient
- Motley-staples Middle SchoolC · 35% proficient
Top high schools
- Sauk Centre SecondaryB · 50% proficient
- Osakis SecondaryB · 46% proficient
- Wadena-deer Creek Senior HighB− · 42% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Todd County school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Todd 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 Todd County against the other 3,143 counties.
Who Todd County suits
Families
Schools land around the 42nd percentile and crime safety beats 72%.
Retirees
The weather beats 77% of counties, health care access beats 62%, and it is quieter than 60%.
Common questions about living in Todd County
Is Todd County a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Todd County ranks 1,650th of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on state infrastructure, low disaster risk, and heat safety, and lowest on internet speeds and taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Todd County expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $208,606. The overall cost of living runs about 9% below the national average. Set against a $68,309 median income, cost of living beats 34% of counties.
Is Todd County safe?
Yes, Todd County is safer than 72% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $301 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Todd County?
July highs average about 82 degrees, and January highs near 21 with lows near 4. That works out to about 124 pleasant days a year, more than 77% of counties.
Is Todd County good for families?
Schools beat 42% of counties, crime safety beats 72%, and childcare runs $776 a month.
Compare Todd County with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Todd County. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Todd 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.
Todd County detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Todd County: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Todd County: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Todd County: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Todd County: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Todd 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.