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City Profile

St. Paul, Minnesota

USA · Comprehensive city data and intelligence

Compare St. Paul Custom Comparison
51
Overall Score

St. Paul, the capital city of Minnesota, shares the spotlight with its twin city Minneapolis as the heart of the vibrant Midwestern metropolitan region. Established along the banks of the Mississippi River, the city preserves its historic character through iconic Victorian architecture, cobblestone streets in the landmarked Irvine Park, and deeply rooted immigrant communities. Residents are drawn to St. Paul for its distinct neighborhood charm, a slower and more community-oriented pace than its larger neighbor, and a thriving arts and cultural scene that includes the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts and the Science Museum of Minnesota.

About Minnesota

Minnesota, often called the "Land of 10,000 Lakes," is known for its strong sense of community, outdoor lifestyle, and "Minnesota Nice" reputation. The state boasts a diverse and highly developed economy with major industries including healthcare and medical technology, food and agriculture, manufacturing, and financial services, and is home to numerous Fortune 500 companies. While winters are long and cold with significant snowfall, summers are hot and humid, offering a wide range of seasonal activities. The cost of living in Minnesota is generally lower than the national average, with housing and utilities being particularly affordable, contributing to its high quality of life.

306,684
Population
$73K
Avg Salary
105
Cost Index
50.8
Quality Score
How this 51/100 was calculated five components, with every reading behind them
Component Readings used Points Weight Contributes
Safety Safety score: 68 / 100 68.0 30% 20.4
Affordability Cost of living index (100 = national baseline): 105.0 37.5 25% 9.4
Economy & jobs Median household income: $73,394 Income needed to live here: $97,211 Unemployment rate: 4.6% 33.8 20% 6.8
Growth Population growth rate: no usable reading Job growth rate: 1.4% 48.0 15% 7.2
Business climate assessment Business climate assessment: 71 / 100 71.0 10% 7.1
Overall score 50.8

Provenance. These figures were produced by the research pass recorded as Gemini (Tier 1 (fast), q=70), last refreshed 11 October 2026. They are researched estimates drawn from public sources, not a licensed data feed.

Each component is scored against fixed published endpoints, so this number is comparable with any other city and does not move as the dataset grows. Scoring framework 2026.10 — full methodology, weights and accepted ranges.

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Performance

Quality Scores

Business
71
Livability
77
Affordability
72
Growth
69

Expenses

Cost of Living

The cost of living in St. Paul runs slightly above the national average, driven primarily by housing expenses and regional economic factors. While everyday goods, utilities, and grocery prices track relatively close to or slightly below national baselines, the local housing market places modest upward pressure on overall budgets. Renters and prospective homebuyers find that stable demand keeps prices competitive, though St. Paul remains notably more affordable than many comparable capital cities on the East and West Coasts.

Average Rent
$1,459/mo
Groceries
$410/mo
Transport
$110/mo
Utilities
$175/mo
Healthcare
$240/mo
Gym membership (monthly)
$50.00
Cinema ticket
$13.50
Restaurant meal (mid-range)
$25.00
Monthly groceries
$410.00
Doctor visit (without insurance)
$160.00

Income

Salary Insights

St. Paul features a resilient and diversified economy anchored by government administration, education, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing. Major employers include the State of Minnesota, Regions Hospital, and numerous financial and technology firms that benefit from the highly educated regional workforce. The local job market displays steady stability, supported by a growing entrepreneurial climate and robust remote and hybrid work infrastructure across the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

The average salary in St. Paul is $73,394 per year. You would need approximately $97,211 to live comfortably.

Employment

Top Industries

Manufacturing +1.50% Education +1.20% Healthcare +2.60% Finance and Insurance +2.00% Government and Public Administration +0.80%

Weather

Climate

🌡️
47°F
Avg Temp
☀️
79°F
Summer High
❄️
7°F
Winter Low
🌧️
40.00"
Annual Rain
💧
68.00%
Humidity
🌤️
256
Sunny Days

Mobility

Transport

Getting around St. Paul is facilitated by a multi-modal network featuring Metro Transit bus routes, the METRO Green Line light rail connecting directly to Minneapolis, and an accessible street grid for drivers. While car ownership remains common, transit and walkability scores are favorable in denser urban neighborhoods like downtown and the Cathedral Hill district. Commute times average around 21 to 25 minutes, making daily travel manageable compared to larger coastal megacities.

23 min
Avg Commute
58.00/10
Transit Score
62.00/10
Walkability
Medium
Car Dependency
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At a Glance

Pros & Cons

Advantages
Median home value of $294,500 sits approximately 11% below the U.S. national average per Census Bureau data.
Extensive park system featuring Como Park, more than 100 public parks, and extensive Mississippi River shoreline access.
Thriving higher education presence with esteemed institutions like Macalester College and the University of St. Thomas.
Rich cultural infrastructure, including the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts and world-class museums.
Robust public transit connectivity via the METRO Green Line light rail linking directly to downtown Minneapolis.
Drawbacks
Rigorous winter climate brings heavy seasonal snowfalls and prolonged sub-freezing temperatures.
Overall cost of living tracks roughly 4.8% above the national average driven by regional housing and tax structures.
State and local income tax burdens rank higher than the national median.
Property crime rates in specific commercial zones exceed national suburban medians.
Poverty rates in select urban core neighborhoods remain higher than state averages.

Head to Head

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Nearby Cities

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66
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63
Edina
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Community Q&A

Questions about St. Paul

What people ask about living in and moving to St. Paul, Minnesota.

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Gathering the most common questions about St. Paul…

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Urblytica benchmarks its Cost of Living Index against a United States national average baseline of 100. A score of 115 means a city is approximately 15% more expensive than the national average, while a score of 85 indicates it is 15% more affordable. This composite calculation is weighted across six primary expenditure categories: housing, utilities, grocery items, transportation, healthcare, and miscellaneous goods.

Urblytica aggregates housing data from multiple authoritative sources, including Multiple Listing Service (MLS) feeds, municipal property tax registries, the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), and verified historical deed transactions. This multi-tier aggregation ensures precision in tracking median home values and rental rates.

A municipality must meet minimum data-density thresholds—including consistent reporting population samples from the U.S. Census and active residential or commercial real estate transaction feeds—to ensure statistical significance before a complete scoring profile is published.

When primary agencies (such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics or U.S. Census Bureau) issue historical data revisions or benchmark corrections, Urblytica's data pipeline automatically re-indexes affected historical archives to maintain longitudinal trend accuracy.

U.S. affordability calculations incorporate federal income tax brackets, state-specific income tax rates, and local municipal tax variations to evaluate the true net tax drag on median household earnings across different states and cities.

Local county and municipal property tax millage rates are factored directly into the housing component of the cost-of-living index to reflect recurring annual tax burdens for homeowners.

The platform aggregates state sales taxes alongside county and city surtaxes to measure consumer basket purchasing power parity accurately across different retail jurisdictions.

Utility calculations apply regional seasonal consumption weightings, incorporating high summer air conditioning loads in southern states and heavy winter heating demands in northern states.

The index tracks average out-of-pocket healthcare expenses, routine outpatient visit costs, and regional health insurance premium benchmarks published by federal health agencies.

Educational metrics aggregate state standardized testing benchmarks, student-to-teacher ratios, high school graduation rates, and per-pupil expenditure data published by state departments of education.
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