countyscore

Best Counties for Retirement in Minnesota 2026

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

Top 5 Retirement Counties in Minnesota

1Lake of the Woods County
77.4
baseline 74.3
2Red Lake County
75.7
baseline 73.1
3Lincoln County
74.6
baseline 69.3
4Rock County
73.8
baseline 70.7
5Murray County
73.2
baseline 72.7

All 87 Retirement-Ranked Counties in Minnesota

RankCountyCounty Fit Scorebaseline CountyScoreDelta
1Lake of the Woods County, MN77.474.3+3.1
2Red Lake County, MN75.773.1+2.6
3Lincoln County, MN74.669.3+5.3
4Rock County, MN73.870.7+3.1
5Murray County, MN73.272.7+0.5
6Lac qui Parle County, MN72.772.5+0.2
7Kittson County, MN72.569.5+3
8Stevens County, MN72.165.6+6.5
9Jackson County, MN71.972.5-0.6
10Pipestone County, MN71.366.9+4.4
11Clearwater County, MN70.665.2+5.4
12Marshall County, MN70.569.1+1.4
13Big Stone County, MN70.268.8+1.4
14Wadena County, MN69.862.5+7.3
15Wilkin County, MN6965.3+3.7
16Traverse County, MN68.568.1+0.4
17Pope County, MN67.865.4+2.4
18Swift County, MN67.665.2+2.4
19Lake County, MN67.565.4+2.1
20Grant County, MN66.866.1+0.7
21Houston County, MN66.359.8+6.5
22Faribault County, MN66.261.9+4.3
23Norman County, MN66.268.8-2.6
24Lyon County, MN65.964.5+1.4
25Wabasha County, MN65.764.4+1.3
26Yellow Medicine County, MN65.566.5-1
27Brown County, MN6560.3+4.7
28Dodge County, MN64.458.4+6
29Fillmore County, MN64.465.1-0.7
30Redwood County, MN64.262.9+1.3
31Chippewa County, MN63.859.5+4.3
32Cook County, MN62.561.6+0.9
33Koochiching County, MN62.359.9+2.4
34Martin County, MN62.359.2+3.1
35Cass County, MN61.357.2+4.1
36Cottonwood County, MN61.363.2-1.9
37Le Sueur County, MN60.856.3+4.5
38Sibley County, MN60.857.3+3.5
39Todd County, MN60.155.4+4.7
40Meeker County, MN59.157.7+1.4
41Waseca County, MN58.652.5+6.1
42Watonwan County, MN58.553.6+4.9
43Itasca County, MN5856.4+1.6
44Douglas County, MN57.956.4+1.5
45Kanabec County, MN57.952.6+5.3
46Carver County, MN57.756+1.7
47Hubbard County, MN57.750.3+7.4
48Wright County, MN57.556.5+1
49Sherburne County, MN57.255.6+1.6
50Renville County, MN56.757.4-0.7
51Roseau County, MN56.556.2+0.3
52Becker County, MN55.652.7+2.9
53Nicollet County, MN55.654.4+1.2
54McLeod County, MN54.750.1+4.6
55Aitkin County, MN54.453.3+1.1
56Steele County, MN53.749.6+4.1
57Stearns County, MN53.350.3+3
58Otter Tail County, MN53.151.7+1.4
59Morrison County, MN5350.8+2.2
60Crow Wing County, MN52.449.3+3.1
61Nobles County, MN51.950.4+1.5
62Polk County, MN51.950.9+1
63Winona County, MN51.648+3.6
64Chisago County, MN51.546.2+5.3
65Rice County, MN51.349.3+2
66Isanti County, MN50.943.6+7.3
67Goodhue County, MN50.547.8+2.7
68Carlton County, MN50.349.8+0.5
69Mahnomen County, MN49.347+2.3
70Kandiyohi County, MN4946.2+2.8
71Pine County, MN4946.9+2.1
72Pennington County, MN48.943.9+5
73Washington County, MN48.447.6+0.8
74Scott County, MN48.245.8+2.4
75Freeborn County, MN47.647.5+0.1
76Olmsted County, MN4743.7+3.3
77Anoka County, MN46.243.7+2.5
78Mower County, MN45.544.7+0.8
79Benton County, MN44.941+3.9
80Mille Lacs County, MN44.542.6+1.9
81Dakota County, MN44.443+1.4
82Blue Earth County, MN43.241.7+1.5
83Clay County, MN42.541.8+0.7
84St. Louis County, MN41.140.7+0.4
85Hennepin County, MN37.736+1.7
86Beltrami County, MN3736+1
87Ramsey County, MN3332.6+0.4

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best county for retirement in Minnesota?

Based on the Retiree lens, Lake of the Woods County ranks as the top retirement county in Minnesota with a County Fit Score of 77.4. The baseline CountyScore remains visible for context.

How many counties in Minnesota are ranked for retirement?

We rank 87 counties in Minnesota with the Retiree lens, using independent importance values for health, safety, taxes, cost, disaster risk, water, and weather.

Also Browse Minnesota Counties For

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Retirement 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.