Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 66/100
C+
Median home value$378,800
Minneapolis $374,000
Median rent$1,783/mo
Minneapolis $1,440/mo
Cost-burdened households22%
Minneapolis 28%
Cottage Grove
Washington County40,992 residentsSouth Washington County Schools
64
C+
Suburbgrade score
24th of 60 Minneapolis suburbs. Strongest on schools, held back by amenities.
64
Minneapolis median 62
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Cottage Grove yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 64 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Cottage Grove is like to live in, by category
Bars show Cottage Grove against Minneapolis. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 73/100
B
Within-state proficiency78th pct
Minneapolis median 72nd pct
Student–teacher ratio16.1
Minneapolis median 16.1
Graduation rate93%
Minneapolis median 89%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 55/100
C−
Housing cost index108
Minneapolis 100
Eff. tax rate0.97%
Minneapolis 1.04%
Local sales tax8.14%
Minneapolis median 8.14%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 64/100
C+
Mean commute23.9 min
Minneapolis 23.9 min
Under 30 minutes65%
Minneapolis 68%
Transit stops / sq mi0.1
Minneapolis median 6.5 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 50/100
D+
Restaurants & cafés9
Minneapolis median 35 · within 2 miles
Groceries3
Minneapolis median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks19
Minneapolis median 61 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 69/100
B−
Median household income$120,791
Minneapolis $99,833
Unemployment3.7%
Minneapolis 4.1%
Professional occupations48%
Minneapolis 49%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Cottage Grove yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Cottage Grove on amenities
Cottage Grove's weakest grade is D+. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same six inputs.
SuburbAmenitiesOverall
Minneapolis20 mi from Cottage GroveA+ 63 C+ St. Paul13 mi from Cottage GroveA 59 C St. Louis Park24 mi from Cottage GroveA− 71 B− Roseville18 mi from Cottage GroveB+ 65 C+ Richfield19 mi from Cottage GroveB+ 59 C Burnsville18 mi from Cottage GroveB 62 C Restaurants & cafés: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026 · Groceries: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026
Common questions about living in Cottage Grove
Is Cottage Grove, MN a good place to live?
Cottage Grove scores 64 out of 100, 24th of 60 Minneapolis suburbs. It is strongest on schools and weakest on amenities. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Cottage Grove expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C−. The median home is $378,800, 1% above the Minneapolis median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.97%. $1,783/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Cottage Grove?
Schools grade B. The districts serving Cottage Grove sit at the 78th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 93% graduation rate and a 16.1 student–teacher ratio. Cottage Grove is served by South Washington County Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Cottage Grove?
The mean commute is 23.9 min, with 65% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 21% working from home. Transit density is 0.1 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Cottage Grove?
Within two miles there are 3 groceries, 9 restaurants and cafés and 19 parks, which grades D+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Cottage Grove old or new?
The median home in Cottage Grove was built in 1990 — newer than the Minneapolis median of 1981. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 91% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.
Six Minneapolis lists
Best Minneapolis suburbs for familiesMost affordable Minneapolis suburbsBest Minneapolis suburbs for schoolsShortest commutes to Downtown MinneapolisMost walkable Minneapolis suburbsBest Minneapolis suburbs for young professionalsCompare Cottage Grove
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