Aurora MN co hwy 100 IMG 1496, 2012
Aurora’s story
123 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2012.
- 1903Aurora is settled
AuroraMN
A town of 1,643, settled in 1903.
Photo: Bjoertvedt · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
1,643
2025 Census estimate · −2.4% since 2020
Typical home
$165K
+3.8% in a year
Household income
$42K
median
Median age
57.4
years
Jobs based here
887
Balanced
Is Aurora a good place to live?
Aurora’s best subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and an A− for civic life; its weakest is a D− for incomes. Aurora’s median age is 57.4 years, above both the Minnesota town median (39.9 years) and the median of U.S. towns (40.5 years). No town in Minnesota scores higher than Aurora on cost of living. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 85% of the country. Aurora’s trail density is 2.0 miles per square mile, above both Minnesota’s towns (0.5) and U.S. towns (0.4). The biggest park or preserve is Sport Park, at 21 acres. Aurora has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Aurora stand out
Where Aurora beats most towns.
Typical home value
Aurora$165K
Minnesota$349K
Cost of livingA+
2.3 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 99% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
Natural hazardsA+
Lower risk than 94% of U.S. communities
Very low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Aurora10.6
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical MN town4.2
Civic lifeA−
2.5 times the nonprofits per person
than the typical Minnesota town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
How Aurora grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Aurora is from typical.
Cost of livingA+Open →Jobs & income$42K median household income; 887 jobs based hereD−Open →Hazard riskcold waves tops the listA+Open →HealthEssentia Health Northern Pines Medical Center 1.2 miles awayDOpen →SchoolsBehind 60% of Minnesota districts on tests and graduationC+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.9 of 20; 25.2% of households have no car; 4.2% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors8 miles of trails; 0% conserved landBOpen →History4 notable people born hereC+Open →Civic life6.6 library visits per resident; 10.6 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Aurora: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Aurora, and how to reach them.
PowerMinnesota Power15.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterAurora water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Aurora’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Minnesota you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereSt. Louis County AuditorSt. Louis County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2017
ZIP code5570555705 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Aurora.
HousingCost of living grade A+
Compared with most of Minnesota and the rest of the country, the median rent in Aurora is lower
The median rent in Aurora is $509 a month. The typical Aurora home is worth about $165,000, up 3.8% in a year, 53% below the Minnesota typical home.
$165KZillow home value
| Aurora | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $509 a month | $1,196 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 80% | 75% | 73% |
Typical home value
Aurora$165K
Minnesota$349K
+3.8%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A+
The FEMA risk score in Aurora is lower than in the typical Minnesota or U.S. town
Aurora’s FEMA risk score is 6 of 100.
6risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland flooding
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthD
For health, Aurora earns a D
21% of adults smoke cigarettes in Aurora. No town among the 272 in Minnesota we compare has a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Aurora. 15% of adults have diabetes in Aurora.
15%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Aurora | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 12% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 10% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 16% | 19% |
32 measures vs. Minnesota
1 better11 too close to call20 worse
| What stands out | Aurora | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.8% | 76.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 28.2% | 8.9% |
Essentia Health Northern Pines Medical Center
1.2 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Aurora has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Aurora has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 78°, January nights drop to -4° and about 69 inches of snow falls in a winter.
69″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter-0–21°
Spring25–51°
Summer50–76°
Fall31–51°
+2.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
A job hub: Aurora has 1.4 jobs for every working resident and draws in 801 commuters
Most working residents leave Aurora for work: only 14% work in town. 20% of Aurora residents live below the poverty line. Of the 274 Minnesota towns we compare, none has a lower median household income than Aurora.
14%work in town
| Aurora | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $42,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.2% | 14% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 9.8% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Aurora14%
Virginia17%
White Township15%
Biwabik8%
Duluth8%
15 mi
median commute distance
887
jobs based in Aurora
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 55% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
0.5%conserved
0.5%
conserved · 12 of 2,484 acres
7.6 mi
of trails · 1.9 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sport Park | 0.5 mi | 21 |
| 2. Superior National Forest | 0.2 mi | 10 |
| 3. Central Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Aurora
19pages on Aurora
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Aurora; the nearest are
Minnesota North CollegeCommunity college · Public · Hibbing32.7 mi$6,022 in-state tuitionUniversity of Minnesota-DuluthUniversity or college · Public · Duluth49.9 mi$14,610 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Aurora residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
Famous people from Aurora
4 notable people were born in Aurora.
About Aurora
City in Minnesota, United States
Aurora is a city in St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,678 at the 2020 census. Saint Louis County Highways 100 and 110 and Minnesota State Highway 135 are three of the main routes in Aurora.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,470 ft
- ZIP code
- 55705
- Area code
- 218
Questions about Aurora
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Aurora, MN expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A+.
What is Aurora, MN known for?
4 notable people were born here, including Francine York and Mike Karakas.