Benton County, Minnesota
Population 41,593 · Sauk Rapids, St. Cloud, Foley
- Overall cost of living: −12.4% vs the US average, lower than 62% of US counties.
- January low: 2°F, lower than 97% of US counties.
- Freezing days (32°F or colder): 172 days, higher than 89% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−12.4% | lower than 62% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole St. Cloud, MN metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $271,000 | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Median rent | $982 | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $156/mo | lower than 68% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $10,695/yr | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.98% | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6.875% | higher than 87% of US counties |
| State income tax | 7.05% | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $2,651 | higher than 79% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $74,410 | higher than 72% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4.7% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -0.9% | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 410.3 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈204 days | lower than 62% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 81°F | lower than 86% of US counties |
| January low | 2°F | lower than 97% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 48 in | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 9 days | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 172 days | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 5.6% of weeks | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈57.7°F | lower than 77% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 29.4 in | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $121/yr | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $94/yr | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0.05/yr | lower than 97% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $13/yr | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $1.3/yr | higher than 61% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 6.4 µg/m³ | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 118.5 mi | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈264.7 ft | lower than 76% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 92.6% | higher than 71% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 26.2% | higher than 66% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 7.5% | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 5 | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 16.6:1 | higher than 84% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 87.3% | lower than 65% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 9.09 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.47 | higher than 81% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.4 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 2.1 | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 29/100k | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 3 | lower than 45% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 4★ | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 78.1 yrs | higher than 77% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 5.7% | lower than 87% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 36/100k | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 34/100k | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 47.2/100k | higher than 88% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 65.1% | higher than 51% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 27 min | lower than 91% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 97 min | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 23 min | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 91.1% | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.4% | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 9.5% | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 89 min | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 42 per sq mi | higher than 72% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 1.4 per 1k | lower than 65% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 14.8 per 1k | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Population | 41,593 | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Median age | 36.2 | lower than 88% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -1.7 per 1k/yr | lower than 71% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 31.1% Dem | higher than 56% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 67% Rep | lower than 57% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.8% | higher than 72% of US counties |
| % White | 86% | higher than 62% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 3.5% | lower than 64% of US counties |
| % Black | 5.5% | higher than 66% of US counties |
| % Asian | 1% | higher than 65% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 3.5% | lower than 49% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.4% | higher than 58% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 21 parks | lower than 67% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 8.7 | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 4.6 | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 16 min | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 1.1% | lower than 49% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 32 | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 47 | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 289 km | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 152 km | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 42 | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 89 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 6 | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 9 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 3 | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 22 | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 7 | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 95 | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 301 km | higher than 95% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data