Stearns County, Minnesota
Population 160,865 · St. Cloud, Sartell, Waite Park
- Overall cost of living: −12.4% vs the US average, lower than 62% of US counties.
- January low: 3°F, lower than 96% of US counties.
- Life expectancy: 80.5 yrs, higher than 93% 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 | $273,400 | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,068 | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $149/mo | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $17,507/yr | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 1% | higher than 64% 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 | $2,742 | higher than 81% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $77,066 | higher than 77% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4% | higher than 49% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +1.5% | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 530.3 | higher than 95% of US counties |
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 | 3°F | lower than 96% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 57 in | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 9 days | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 159 days | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 5.3% of weeks | lower than 67% 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 | 29.3 in | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $124/yr | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $99/yr | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0.08/yr | lower than 96% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $13/yr | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.63/yr | higher than 51% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 5.9 µg/m³ | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 143.6 mi | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈427.7 ft | lower than 51% 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 | 92.5% | higher than 70% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 28.8% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 9.8% | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 5 | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 15.8:1 | higher than 76% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 78.3% | lower than 92% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 9.03 | higher than 88% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.11 | higher than 66% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.29 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 2.1 | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 99/100k | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 4 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 4.5★ | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 80.5 yrs | higher than 93% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 5.9% | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 452/100k | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 83/100k | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 36.9/100k | higher than 87% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 77.6% | higher than 72% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 41 min | lower than 75% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 108 min | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 22 min | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 90.6% | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 1.3% | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 10.6% | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 95 min | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 56 per sq mi | higher than 82% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 2 per 1k | higher than 49% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 10.1 per 1k | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Population | 160,865 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Median age | 35.1 | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -2.4 per 1k/yr | lower than 74% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 35.7% Dem | higher than 66% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 62.4% Rep | lower than 67% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.9% | higher than 76% of US counties |
| % White | 80.2% | higher than 50% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 4.8% | lower than 52% of US counties |
| % Black | 9% | higher than 74% of US counties |
| % Asian | 1.9% | higher than 82% 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 | 3.7% | higher than 54% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.2% | lower than 54% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 169 parks | higher than 73% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 16.5 | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 5.2 | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 26 min | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 3.4% | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 24 | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 47 | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 165 km | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 152 km | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 27 | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 84 | 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 | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| 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