Minnesota’s Richest Town Has An Income That Will Shock You

When you think of the richest spots in America, you probably picture the usual suspects - Beverly Hills mansions, penthouse apartments in New York, or maybe a glass house perched on a Malibu cliff.

But here’s the thing, you don’t need celebrity status, an ocean view, or a famous ZIP code to live somewhere seriously wealthy. In fact, you don't even need to leave the Land of 10,000 Lakes!

That's right, one of the most well-off small towns in the entire country is right here in Minnesota. It’s quiet, private, and loaded with wealthy people, apparently.

Related: This Billionaire is Minnesota's Richest Person in 2025

The median household income here is a staggering $220,861, according to a new GOBankingRates study. For comparison, Minnesota’s statewide median is about $85K- so yeah, that’s a huge jump.

It's also beating out some of the wealthiest small towns in neighboring states. Iowa’s top earner is Polk City where folks are raking in about $142K a year. Over in Wisconsin, River Hills takes the crown at just under $179K. All impressive, but still far behind our Minnesota town.

How were the results determined? GOBankingRates analyzed U.S. Census Bureau income data in locations in every state with 500 to 15,000 households to determine the wealthiest small towns in America.

Minnesota’s Wealthiest Small Town:

With a population of just around 5,500, North Oaks was designed to be secluded, according to the town website. Originally developed on land owned by railroad titan James J. Hill, it's a gated-style community where roads, lakes, and walking paths are privately owned - so private you can't even snoop on Google Maps.

And get this, North Oaks isn’t just rich for Minnesota, its income is impressive on its own, it's also close to matching Orinda, California’s figure of $248,984, the richest small town in America. How crazy is that?

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