Olmsted County Ranked One of Minnesota’s Best Places to Live (Again!)
Time to flex a little, Southeast Minnesota! If someone asked you to guess where Olmsted County ranks on the big list of best places to live in Minnesota, what would you say? Top 10? Top 5?
The official 2026 numbers are out, and let’s just say our corner of the state showed up in a huge way!
The rankings come from Niche, which looked at everything from solid public schools, cost of living, job opportunities, and local amenities.
Before we brag about just how high on the podium Olmsted landed, let’s see how our neighboring SE Minnesota counties stacked up:
#16. Winona County - home to Winona, St. Charles, Lewiston, and more.
#22. Wabasha County - Where you'll find towns like Mazeppa, Lake City, Zumbro Falls, and more.
#24. Dodge County - Home to Kasson, Mantorville, Dodge Center, etc.
#26. Goodhue County - Home to Red Wing, Zumbrota, Cannon Falls, Goodhue, etc
Coming in at 31st best in Minnesota is Fillmore County, home to Preston, Fountain, Spring Valley, and Lanesboro, just to name a few.
#33. Mower County - Austin, Grand Meadow, Lyle, and more.
Not a bad showing for Southeastern Minnesota, am I right? So, where did Olmsted County come in?
Olmsted County Now One of Minnesota’s Best Places to Live for 2026:
Olmsted County locked down the #2 spot in the entire state once again! It crushed the 2026 rankings thanks to a strong mix of high homeownership rates, top-rated public schools, and plenty of great local amenities.
If we came in second, who claimed the top spot??
The only county that ranked higher was Hennepin County, home to Minneapolis, Bloomington, Maple Grove, and more.
Still, landing at #2 out of all 87 counties in Minnesota is pretty dang impressive, so go us!
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The Best Places to Live in Minnesota (2025)
Gallery Credit: Nick Cooper
