Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Golden Valley grades B+ overall, ranked 155th of 271 in Minnesota. It has 22 miles of trail. It is healthier than 98% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $109K. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $436K for a typical one and 4.4 times the Minneapolis metro’s $100K median household income. Golden Valley’s trail density is 2.1 miles per square mile, against 0.5 in Minnesota’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. On walkability, just 41 of Minnesota’s 574 towns do better. Maternity Hospital is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Golden Valley beats most towns.
16.1% of the town is conserved land, across 48 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Golden Valley is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 301 in 1860, a low of 301 in 1860, 22,552 in 2020. The archive holds 30 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 6 maps from 1902 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Golden Valley. Close and well known come first.
Big draw5 mi Stadium & arenaU.S. Bank Stadium
4 mi Stadium & arenaTarget Field
7 mi Stadium & arenaHuntington Bank Stadium
4 mi LakeBde Maka Ska
13 mi Stadium & arenaGrand Casino Arena
5 mi WaterfallSaint Anthony FallsU.S. Bank Stadium: Darb02, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Target Field: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Huntington Bank Stadium: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bde Maka Ska: Tyler Vigen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Grand Casino Arena: AlexiusHoratius, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Saint Anthony Falls: The original uploader was Mulad at English Wikipedia., Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Golden Valley, 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 Golden Valley.
Golden Valley reports less crime than Plymouth or any other graded neighbor, draws workers from Minneapolis and beyond and is one of Minnesota’s best towns for the outdoors.
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #5 of 274 in Minnesota.
The biggest place to walk is Theodore Wirth Park, 544 acres with 17 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Theodore Wirth Park | 17 mi | 544 |
| 2. Glenview Park | 0.6 mi | 13 |
| 3. Westwood Hills Park | 0.5 mi | 22 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Robbinsdale Public School District. Three of its 14 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meadowbrook ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 792 | A |
| Highview AlcLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 277 | C− |
| School of Engineering-Arts at OlsonTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 432 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
25% of adults have obesity in Golden Valley, below both Minnesota’s towns (35%) and U.S. towns (35%). 25% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Golden Valley. Golden Valley beats the Minnesota average on 19 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Golden Valley | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 35% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 30% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.3% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Golden Valley | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.8% | 11.4% |
| Fewer smokers | 9.2% | 13.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.4% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
32,485 jobs are based in Golden Valley, 3 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 29.5% of workers work from home, against 17.6% across Minnesota.
Most working residents leave Golden Valley for work: only 8% work in town. 30% of Golden Valley workers work from home. Jobs based in Golden Valley fell to 32,485 in 2023, 6,683 fewer than in 2013.
| Golden Valley | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 30% | 14% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $109,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 9.1% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its B+ tops all 5 graded towns on its borders; Plymouth (B+) comes closest. Reported crimes rose from 160 to 215 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The median property tax bill is $5,350, against $3,357 across Minnesota, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Golden Valley’s median rent is $1,785 a month. The typical Golden Valley home is worth about $436,000, up 2.6% in a year, 25% above the Minnesota typical home.
| Golden Valley | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,785 a month | $1,192 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons average 82.2°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 81% of Minnesota places with climate records; January nights average 6.5°.
Golden Valley has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The January low in Golden Valley is 7°F. About 54 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Golden Valley | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 7°F | 6°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 41 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Golden Valley.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
29 within 15 miles of the center of Golden Valley
About 3 of every 100 Golden Valley residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
Where Golden Valley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
14 notable people were born in Golden Valley.
City in Minnesota, United States
Golden Valley is a western first-ring suburb of Minneapolis in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 22,552 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 21,263 in 2024. The city is mostly residential and is bordered by Interstate 394. Over 15% of it is parks or nature reserves. Minnesota State Highway 55 runs through the city, providing a direct route to downtown Minneapolis. Golden Valley is the main corporate headquarters of General Mills, a major flour-milling and food-products company originally located in Minneapolis. It is the site of Pentair's U.S. headquarters and local NBC affiliate KARE. The city was also home to the former Minneapolis-Honeywell headquarters…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Golden Valley.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Valley | #155 | B+ | C− | B+ | C+ | A+ |
| St. Louis Park | #180 | B | C | C− | B | A+ |
| Minneapolis | #262 | C | C | D− | C | A− |
| Crystal | #201 | B | B− | C− | C | A |
| Robbinsdale | #241 | C+ | C | C | C | A− |
| Plymouth | #23 | A+ | C− | B+ | A+ | A+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Golden Valley grades B+ overall, better than 72% of U.S. towns and #155 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades A+ for health, B+ for safety and C+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
14 notable people were born here, including Kelly Lynch and Scott Z. Burns.
