Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,323, settled in 1857.
Breckenridge gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $198K, 2.7 years of the Wahpeton area’s $74K median household income. It grades B overall, 205th of 271 graded towns in Minnesota. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $59K, and 22% of residents live below the poverty line. 22% of residents live below the poverty line in Breckenridge, above both the Minnesota town median (7%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On health, just 17 of Minnesota’s 572 towns do worse. Wilkin County Courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Breckenridge beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Breckenridge is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 2 maps from 1904 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Breckenridge, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Breckenridge.
Breckenridge sends many workers across the state line to Dwight Township, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
At 2.7 years of the Wahpeton area’s $74K median household income, the typical home (about $198K) costs less against local pay than in 93% of Minnesota towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $1,354, against $3,357 across Minnesota, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The median rent in Breckenridge is $515 a month. The typical Breckenridge home is worth about $198,000, up 1.9% in a year, 43% below the Minnesota typical home.
| Breckenridge | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $515 a month | $1,199 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Breckenridge Public School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Breckenridge Middle/High School, with 311 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breckenridge ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 265 | B |
| Breckenridge Middle/High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 311 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Against the 8,653 U.S. towns with household incomes like Breckenridge’s, it is less healthy than 54%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
15% of Breckenridge adults report frequent physical distress. Breckenridge beats the Minnesota average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 30% of Breckenridge adults feel lonely.
| Breckenridge | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 23% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 10% | 12% |
| What stands out | Breckenridge | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.6% | 76.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.5% | 5.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
408 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 13 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 408 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Breckenridge.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 0.8°, colder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 82.2°.
Breckenridge has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Breckenridge’s January low is 1°F. About 50 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Breckenridge | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 1°F | 6°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
57% of working residents cross a state line to work, Dwight Township among the top destinations. Breckenridge has about as many jobs (1,290) as working residents, but only 330 people both live and work here.
About one in 5 of Breckenridge’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Breckenridge has lost 269 jobs, to 1,290 in 2023. 7.7% of workers work from home in Breckenridge.
| Breckenridge | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $59,000 | $91,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 7.7% | 14% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Breckenridge | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.4% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Welles Park | — | 11 |
| 2. Lions Park Breckenridge | — | 10 |
| 3. Oxcart Trail Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Breckenridge
About 4 of every 100 Breckenridge residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
Township in Minnesota, United States
Breckenridge Township is a township in Wilkin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 234 at the 2000 census. Breckenridge Township was organized in 1857, and named for John C. Breckinridge, a senator from Kentucky, fourteenth vice president of the United States, and later Confederate general and the last Confederate secretary of war.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Breckenridge.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breckenridge · Breckenridge Township | #205 | B | A | B− | B | C |
| Connelly Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Connelly Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Breckenridge Township and Breckenridge are one community, graded once. Compare Breckenridge with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Breckenridge grades B overall, better than 56% of U.S. towns and #205 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades C for health, B− for safety and B for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
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.