Exposed: Minnesota’s 10 Small Towns You’ll Want to Avoid

Uh oh, hopefully you're not from one of the small towns on this list. There are different metrics that were used to determine this list but these are the 10 worst small towns in Minnesota. So you'll probably want to avoid them if possible.

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The Metrics Used to Rank the Worst Small Towns in Minnesota

RoadSnacks did the study that established this list. They utilized FBI crime data and also the Census' Community Surveys from 2018-2022.

From there, the key metrics they looked at were:

Population Density (the lower it was, the lower the town ranked)

Unemployment Rates

Housing Costs (if they were too low that indicated low demand)

Adjusted Median Income (adjusted for the cost of living)

Education (for example, how many high school dropouts there are in the town)

Crime Rate

Worst Small Towns in Minnesota

Based on all of that data, they established that these are the worst small towns in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Do you agree with this list? Let's see.

10. Hilltop

Hilltop is north of Minneapolis right next to Columbia Heights. It has a population of 1,005 with an unemployment rate of 17.6%. The median income is $46,188 and the median home value is $26,715.

9. Crosby

Crosby is in central Minnesota, northeast of Brainerd. It has a population of 2,519 with an unemployment rate of 5.4%. The median income is $42,973 and the median home value is $178,799.

8. Hinckley

Hinckley is in east central Minnesota, right in between the Twin Cities and Duluth. It has a population of 1,564 with an unemployment rate of 9.5%. The median income is $40,909 and the median home value is $236,099.

7. Sandstone

Sandstone is also in east central Minnesota between the Twin Cities and Duluth. It has a population of 2,566 with an unemployment rate of 5.4%. The median income is $39,602 and the median home value is $242,653.

6. Mahnomen

Mahnomen is in northwestern Minnesota, almost directly west of Duluth but close to the North Dakota border. The population is 1,111 with an unemployment rate of 11.2%. The median income is $41,875 and the median home value is $123,818.

5. Appleton

Appleton is in west central Minnesota, exactly west of the Twin Cities near the South Dakota border. The population is 1,346 with an unemployment rate of 3.9%. The median income is $40,000 and the median home value is $69,755.

4. Keewatin

Keewatin is in central northern Minnesota, northwest of Duluth. The population is 1,195 with an unemployment rate of 5.9%. The median income is $50,658 and the median home value is $84,223.

3. Red Lake

Red Lake is in the western portion of north-central Minnesota, straight north of Bemidji. The population is 1,435 with an unemployment rate of 19.2%. The median income is $52,929 and the median home value is $155,994.

2. Redby

Redby is right next to Red Lake. The population is 1,228 with an unemployment rate of 15.9%. The median income is $43,125 and the median home value is $115,920.

1. Little Rock

And right by Red Lake and Reby is the worst small town in Minnesota according to RoadSnacks, Little Rock. The population is 1,011 with an unemployment rate of 23.6%. The median income is $44,931 and the median home value is $64,073.