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Small town

Living in Paynesville, MN

Paynesville is a small town of 2,519 people in Stearns County, Minnesota. It's about 29 miles from St. Cloud, MN and 76 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 81°F and winter highs 20°F, with about 49 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $178k and rent runs about $815 a month.

2,519people
$178kTypical home
$815/moRent
81° / 20°Summer / winter
49"Snow
238Sunny days
86Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Small town of 2,519
  • A standalone small town, not a suburb
  • About 1,100 people per sq mi
  • 76 mi to Minneapolis, MN
  • 29 mi to St. Cloud, MN
  • 24 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $178k (≈$1,124/mo)
  • Median rent $815/mo
  • Median household income $75k
  • Property tax about 1.0% of value
  • 3.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 81°F
  • Winter highs around 20°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 57°F)
  • 238 sunny days a year (78 totally clear)
  • 127 cloudy days a year
  • 37 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 86 days a year with rain or snow
  • 49" of snow a year
  • 17 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 61 nights a year below 10°F
  • Windier than most places

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (159 per 100k)
  • Very low property crime (758 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 36
  • 24% of households have kids
  • 25% are 65 or older
  • 27% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 5% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 23 min
  • 5% walk or take transit to work
  • 34 mi to STC airport
  • 81 mi to MSP (major hub)
  • 31 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 71% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1972
  • 91% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Flat, open land
  • Elevation 1,175 ft
  • 741 mi to the ocean
  • 71 mi to a big lake
  • 21 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 20 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 4 mi to the nearest campground
  • 14 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 92 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 19 bars within 25 mi
  • 21 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 9 museums within 25 mi
  • 3 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 27 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the bottom 28% of Minnesota districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 2 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 28 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 17 mi to the nearest vet
  • Dog park in town
  • 6 congregations per 10k people
  • 21 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Stearns County: R+27 in 2024
  • Minnesota: D+4 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • High tornado risk
  • Very low wildfire risk
  • Very low earthquake risk
  • Very low flood risk
  • Very low drought risk
  • High winter storm risk
  • Low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Paynesville

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