countyscore

Best Counties for Families in Minnesota 2026

87 counties ranked with the Family lens of the County Fit Score.

Top 5 Family Counties in Minnesota

1Lac qui Parle County
77.6
baseline 72.5
2Jackson County
77.5
baseline 72.5
3Lake of the Woods County
77.4
baseline 74.3
4Red Lake County
76.4
baseline 73.1
5Murray County
76.1
baseline 72.7

All 87 Family-Ranked Counties in Minnesota

RankCountyCounty Fit Scorebaseline CountyScoreDelta
1Lac qui Parle County, MN77.672.5+5.1
2Jackson County, MN77.572.5+5
3Lake of the Woods County, MN77.474.3+3.1
4Red Lake County, MN76.473.1+3.3
5Murray County, MN76.172.7+3.4
6Norman County, MN7668.8+7.2
7Rock County, MN72.170.7+1.4
8Grant County, MN71.966.1+5.8
9Traverse County, MN71.768.1+3.6
10Yellow Medicine County, MN71.666.5+5.1
11Marshall County, MN71.569.1+2.4
12Kittson County, MN71.369.5+1.8
13Big Stone County, MN70.468.8+1.6
14Fillmore County, MN69.365.1+4.2
15Wabasha County, MN69.364.4+4.9
16Lincoln County, MN6969.3-0.3
17Lake County, MN68.865.4+3.4
18Pope County, MN68.665.4+3.2
19Cottonwood County, MN68.563.2+5.3
20Lyon County, MN67.564.5+3
21Swift County, MN67.165.2+1.9
22Pipestone County, MN6766.9+0.1
23Cook County, MN65.561.6+3.9
24Stevens County, MN65.565.6-0.1
25Wilkin County, MN64.565.3-0.8
26Redwood County, MN64.362.9+1.4
27Clearwater County, MN63.765.2-1.5
28Faribault County, MN62.561.9+0.6
29Dodge County, MN62.458.4+4
30Meeker County, MN62.457.7+4.7
31Wright County, MN62.456.5+5.9
32Carver County, MN6256+6
33Sibley County, MN61.957.3+4.6
34Brown County, MN61.860.3+1.5
35Houston County, MN61.459.8+1.6
36Chippewa County, MN6159.5+1.5
37Sherburne County, MN6155.6+5.4
38Wadena County, MN60.862.5-1.7
39Roseau County, MN60.756.2+4.5
40Douglas County, MN60.356.4+3.9
41Nicollet County, MN6054.4+5.6
42Renville County, MN59.857.4+2.4
43Le Sueur County, MN59.456.3+3.1
44Martin County, MN58.859.2-0.4
45Koochiching County, MN58.659.9-1.3
46Itasca County, MN57.556.4+1.1
47Kanabec County, MN54.952.6+2.3
48Todd County, MN54.755.4-0.7
49Carlton County, MN53.949.8+4.1
50Cass County, MN53.757.2-3.5
51Becker County, MN53.452.7+0.7
52Waseca County, MN53.252.5+0.7
53Steele County, MN53.149.6+3.5
54Polk County, MN52.950.9+2
55Watonwan County, MN52.853.6-0.8
56McLeod County, MN52.150.1+2
57Stearns County, MN51.850.3+1.5
58Rice County, MN51.749.3+2.4
59Washington County, MN51.647.6+4
60Aitkin County, MN51.353.3-2
61Otter Tail County, MN50.951.7-0.8
62Goodhue County, MN50.547.8+2.7
63Morrison County, MN50.550.8-0.3
64Nobles County, MN50.450.40
65Scott County, MN49.445.8+3.6
66Freeborn County, MN4947.5+1.5
67Chisago County, MN48.746.2+2.5
68Crow Wing County, MN48.549.3-0.8
69Hubbard County, MN47.550.3-2.8
70Kandiyohi County, MN47.146.2+0.9
71Winona County, MN46.948-1.1
72Pine County, MN46.646.9-0.3
73Dakota County, MN45.643+2.6
74Mower County, MN45.444.7+0.7
75Olmsted County, MN45.143.7+1.4
76Anoka County, MN44.943.7+1.2
77Clay County, MN44.641.8+2.8
78Pennington County, MN44.143.9+0.2
79Mille Lacs County, MN43.942.6+1.3
80Mahnomen County, MN43.847-3.2
81Isanti County, MN43.743.6+0.1
82Blue Earth County, MN4341.7+1.3
83St. Louis County, MN4140.7+0.3
84Benton County, MN40.341-0.7
85Hennepin County, MN37.636+1.6
86Beltrami County, MN35.436-0.6
87Ramsey County, MN34.232.6+1.6

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best county for families in Minnesota?

Based on the Family lens, Lac qui Parle County ranks as the top family county in Minnesota with a County Fit Score of 77.6. The baseline CountyScore remains visible for context.

How many counties in Minnesota are ranked for families?

We rank 87 counties in Minnesota with the Family lens, using independent importance values for schools, safety, affordability, health, income, taxes, and disaster risk.

Also Browse Minnesota Counties For

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Family Rankings by State

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Data: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, FBI UCR, CDC, FEMA NRI, NCES, EPA SDWIS, 2019-2023 ACS — Informational only. Not financial or legal advice.