Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 44/100
D
Median home value$329,400
Minneapolis $374,000
Median rent$1,103/mo
Minneapolis $1,440/mo
Cost-burdened households28%
Minneapolis 28%
Northfield
Rice & Dakota counties20,742 residentsNorthfield Public School District
65
C+
Suburbgrade score
18th of 60 Minneapolis suburbs. Strong on schools and commute & transport, held back by housing & affordability.
65
Minneapolis median 62
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Northfield yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 65 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 Northfield is like to live in, by category
Bars show Northfield against Minneapolis. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 82/100
B+
Within-state proficiency88th pct
Minneapolis median 72nd pct
Student–teacher ratio15.5
Minneapolis median 16.1
Graduation rate95%
Minneapolis median 89%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 65/100
C+
Housing cost index94
Minneapolis 100
Eff. tax rate1.29%
Minneapolis 1.04%
Local sales tax8.14%
Minneapolis median 8.14%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 80/100
B+
Mean commute17.7 min
Minneapolis 23.9 min
Under 30 minutes75%
Minneapolis 68%
Transit stops / sq mi1.6
Minneapolis median 6.5 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 73/100
B
Restaurants & cafés53
Minneapolis median 35 · within 2 miles
Groceries3
Minneapolis median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks91
Minneapolis median 61 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 49/100
D+
Median household income$84,895
Minneapolis $99,833
Unemployment4.9%
Minneapolis 4.1%
Professional occupations44%
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 Northfield 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 Northfield on housing & affordability
Northfield's weakest grade is D. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Lakeville16 mi from NorthfieldB− 70 B− Rosemount21 mi from NorthfieldB− 59 C Prior Lake23 mi from NorthfieldC+ 67 C+ Savage23 mi from NorthfieldC+ 65 C+ Eagan25 mi from NorthfieldC 70 B− Apple Valley20 mi from NorthfieldC 68 B− Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Northfield
Is Northfield, MN a good place to live?
Northfield scores 65 out of 100, 18th of 60 Minneapolis suburbs. It is strongest on schools and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Northfield expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C+. The median home is $329,400, 12% below the Minneapolis median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.29%. $1,103/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Northfield?
Schools grade B+. The districts serving Northfield sit at the 88th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 95% graduation rate and a 15.5 student–teacher ratio. Northfield is served by Northfield Public School District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Northfield?
The mean commute is 17.7 min, with 75% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 16% working from home. Transit density is 1.6 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Northfield?
Within two miles there are 3 groceries, 53 restaurants and cafés and 91 parks, which grades B on amenities.
Are the homes in Northfield old or new?
The median home in Northfield was built in 1986 — 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. 64% 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 Northfield
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