Minneapolis vs New Richmond

Which is the better fit for you?

Minneapolis, MN
57
Area Score
Bottom 44% nationally
New Richmond, WI
79
Area Score
Top 1% nationally

Want a third or fourth place beside these? Open them in the shortlist and add more.

New Richmond receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Minneapolis to New Richmond

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 104.3 against 104.3 (US = 100). Both places sit in the same price region, so the index cannot tell them apart.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
The same
HUD benchmarks it at $1,709 in New Richmond against $1,709 in Minneapolis.
The median home
21% less
$285,100 in New Richmond against $362,200 in Minneapolis.
The weather you would swap
Similar winters
Normal January lows are 9°F in New Richmond against 9°F in Minneapolis; July highs are 83°F against 83°F (summers the same).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Minneapolis
New Richmond
Opportunity: New Richmond is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
47 · Bottom 30%
vs
81 · Top 6%
Growth: New Richmond is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
32 · Bottom 17%
vs
81 · Top 4%
Climate
55 · Bottom 5%
vs
55 · Bottom 5%
Physical resilience: Minneapolis is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
93 · Top 7%
vs
81 · Top 23%
Housing affordability: New Richmond is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
74 · Top 28%
vs
93 · Top 1%
Schools: New Richmond is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
23 · Bottom 16%
vs
85 · Top 6%
Access: Minneapolis is the more favorable of the two.
Access
97 · Top 31%
vs
80 · Bottom 21%
Economic stability: New Richmond is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
55 · Bottom 44%
vs
65 · Top 35%

Measured values

MetricMinneapolisNew RichmondSource period
Population427,24610,5392024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$80,846 ±$1,824$88,157 ±$10,9632024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$52,692 — more favorable$41,1532024 ACS 5-Year
Population density7,912/sq mi917/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$362,200$285,1002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$1,371$1,168 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,709$1,709FY2026
Cost of living index104.3104.32023
Homeownership rate47.7%62.1%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.4%3.5% — more favorableJuly 2026
Employment change (year over year)−2.1%+2.5% — more favorableJuly 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher55.5% — more favorable34.2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate13.6% ±1.0%11.2% ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)41513912 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents1.013.2 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+40.7%+6.1%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high83°F83°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low9°F9°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation31.6"29.2"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport6 mi — more favorable37 miNASR current cycle
Average commute23.7 min — more favorable28.0 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age33.438.02024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools14372024-25 school year
Students per teacher13.3 — more favorable14.22024-25 school year
Math proficiency38.8%64.3%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency43.9%53.8%2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility60.7%27.2%2024-25 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

2 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Minnesota and Wisconsin do not give the same test. Each state writes its own assessment and sets its own passing score, so the two proficiency rows above are not directly comparable — the difference between them partly measures which standard is harder. Students per teacher and the school count are unaffected, and each profile ranks its own proficiency within its own state.

Physical risk tradeoff

Minneapolis

Elevated or high exposure: hail.

New Richmond

Elevated or high exposure: strong wind, hail, tornado.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Minneapolis
—
Minneapolis: Your Score
57
Area Score
New Richmond
—
New Richmond: Your Score
79
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Minneapolis, MN · New Richmond, WI · How this is calculated: methodology