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
77.5
baseline 74.9
2Red Lake County
75.7
baseline 73.3
3Lac qui Parle County
74.6
baseline 74.8
4Lincoln County
74.3
baseline 69
5Rock County
74.3
baseline 71.2

All 87 Retirement-Ranked Counties in Minnesota

RankCountyCounty Fit Scorebaseline CountyScoreDelta
1Lake of the Woods County, MN77.574.9+2.6
2Red Lake County, MN75.773.3+2.4
3Lac qui Parle County, MN74.674.8-0.2
4Lincoln County, MN74.369+5.3
5Rock County, MN74.371.2+3.1
6Murray County, MN7271.3+0.7
7Kittson County, MN71.969.5+2.4
8Clearwater County, MN71.665.8+5.8
9Marshall County, MN71.369.9+1.4
10Pipestone County, MN71.267+4.2
11Stevens County, MN70.564.1+6.4
12Jackson County, MN70.170.9-0.8
13Big Stone County, MN69.368.3+1
14Wadena County, MN68.962.1+6.8
15Wilkin County, MN68.164.7+3.4
16Faribault County, MN67.963.9+4
17Traverse County, MN67.766.7+1
18Pope County, MN67.565.3+2.2
19Lake County, MN67.365.1+2.2
20Swift County, MN67.364.3+3
21Grant County, MN66.565.8+0.7
22Norman County, MN66.368.8-2.5
23Houston County, MN66.259.9+6.3
24Yellow Medicine County, MN65.566.7-1.2
25Wabasha County, MN65.464.1+1.3
26Brown County, MN65.360.7+4.6
27Lyon County, MN64.963.6+1.3
28Koochiching County, MN64.862.2+2.6
29Cook County, MN64.463.2+1.2
30Dodge County, MN6458.2+5.8
31Fillmore County, MN63.664.4-0.8
32Redwood County, MN63.462.2+1.2
33Chippewa County, MN62.658.5+4.1
34Cass County, MN62.458.8+3.6
35Martin County, MN61.257.6+3.6
36Cottonwood County, MN61.163.1-2
37Sibley County, MN60.757.4+3.3
38Le Sueur County, MN60.155.5+4.6
39Todd County, MN59.855.4+4.4
40Meeker County, MN59.758.2+1.5
41Watonwan County, MN58.553.8+4.7
42Hubbard County, MN58.251+7.2
43Kanabec County, MN57.952.5+5.4
44Carver County, MN57.856+1.8
45Douglas County, MN57.856.4+1.4
46Waseca County, MN57.651.3+6.3
47Itasca County, MN57.556+1.5
48Wright County, MN57.456.5+0.9
49Sherburne County, MN57.255.8+1.4
50Roseau County, MN56.356.2+0.1
51Becker County, MN5652.9+3.1
52Aitkin County, MN55.955+0.9
53Renville County, MN55.456-0.6
54Nicollet County, MN5553.8+1.2
55McLeod County, MN54.349.8+4.5
56Morrison County, MN53.451.2+2.2
57Steele County, MN53.349.2+4.1
58Stearns County, MN53.250.1+3.1
59Crow Wing County, MN52.949.9+3
60Otter Tail County, MN52.250.5+1.7
61Chisago County, MN51.546.1+5.4
62Polk County, MN51.550.9+0.6
63Winona County, MN51.347.5+3.8
64Isanti County, MN51.143.7+7.4
65Rice County, MN51.149.1+2
66Nobles County, MN50.448.7+1.7
67Goodhue County, MN50.147.5+2.6
68Carlton County, MN49.949.4+0.5
69Mahnomen County, MN49.447.5+1.9
70Pennington County, MN49.244.7+4.5
71Pine County, MN49.147+2.1
72Scott County, MN48.546.1+2.4
73Washington County, MN48.347.5+0.8
74Kandiyohi County, MN47.344.4+2.9
75Olmsted County, MN46.843.5+3.3
76Freeborn County, MN46.646.60
77Anoka County, MN45.943.5+2.4
78Benton County, MN44.740.8+3.9
79Mower County, MN44.643.6+1
80Mille Lacs County, MN44.542.6+1.9
81Dakota County, MN44.342.9+1.4
82Blue Earth County, MN4341.5+1.5
83Clay County, MN42.141.6+0.5
84St. Louis County, MN40.640.1+0.5
85Hennepin County, MN37.435.8+1.6
86Beltrami County, MN36.936+0.9
87Ramsey County, MN32.932.5+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 77.5. 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.