Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hibbing gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $165K, 2.3 years of the Duluth metro’s $72K median household income. It grades A− overall, 121st of 271 graded towns in Minnesota. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $56K, and 16% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, it reports less crime per resident than 84% of U.S. towns. 50% of working residents work locally in Hibbing, where Minnesota’s towns sit at 9.7% and U.S. towns at 8%. Only 22 of Minnesota’s 572 towns score lower on health. Hibbing has 11 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Hull-Rust-Mahoning Open Pit Iron Mine and Hibbing High School.
Where Hibbing beats most towns.
Hull-Rust-Mahoning Open Pit Iron Mine
Hull-Rust-Mahoning Open Pit Iron Mine is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 2,481 in 1900, 16,214 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 2 maps from 1951 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Hibbing is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hibbing, 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 Hibbing.
Hibbing pairs an A− overall with homes cheaper than the Minnesota norm and has colder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
Hibbing grades A− overall with a typical home of about $165K, below the Minnesota typical value; only 39 of the 123 Minnesota towns graded A− or better can say that. At 2.3 years of the Duluth metro’s $72K median household income, the typical home (about $165K) costs less against local pay than in 98% of Minnesota towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
Hibbing’s median rent is $833 a month. Typical home values rose 5.4% in the year to September 2026.
| Hibbing | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $833 a month | $1,199 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 53% | 48% | 48% |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Hibbing Public School District. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Hibbing High, with 829 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 4–7 | Grades 4–7 | 647 | B+ |
| Hibbing HighLargest public high schoolGrades 8–12 | Grades 8–12 | 829 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2025, 0.1 per 1,000 residents.
The violent crime rate in Hibbing is 0.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Hibbing | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6 per 1,000 residents | 8.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
69 miles of trail in 18 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Carey Lake Park, 1,027 acres with 2.9 miles of trail.
| Hibbing | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.8% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Carey Lake Park | 2.9 mi | 1,027 |
| 2. Bennett Park | 1.2 mi | 40 |
| 3. Maple Hill Park | — | 162 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The nearest emergency room, Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital, is 31 miles away in a straight line. Against the 7,673 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hibbing’s, it is healthier than 57%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
19% of adults smoke cigarettes in Hibbing. Hibbing beats the Minnesota average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 18. 27% of adults get no exercise outside work in Hibbing.
| Hibbing | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 10% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 19% |
| What stands out | Hibbing | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.4% | 76.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.7% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 69% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hibbing.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average -1.5°, colder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 77.8°.
Only 8 of the 274 Minnesota towns we compare have a lower July high than Hibbing. Hibbing has cold winters and pleasant summers.
| Hibbing | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | -2°F | 6°F | 22°F |
| July high | 78°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 6,536 working residents takes 16.5 minutes, against 22.7 across Minnesota.
6% of Hibbing workers work from home. The top destinations are Virginia (7%), Duluth (6%) and Chisholm (4%).
| Hibbing | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 6% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $91,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
1 within 15 miles of the center of Hibbing
About 6 of every 100 Hibbing residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Minnesota.
11 places in Hibbing on the National Register of Historic Places.
38 notable people were born in Hibbing.
City in Minnesota, United States
Hibbing is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,214 at the 2020 census. The city was built on mining the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range and still relies on that industry today. At the edge of town is the world's largest open-pit iron mine, the Hull–Rust–Mahoning Open Pit Iron Mine. Hibbing's main routes are U.S. Highway 169, State Highway 37, State Highway 73, Howard Street, and 1st Avenue. It is about 59 miles (95 km) northwest of Duluth, Minnesota.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Hibbing.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hibbing | #121 | A− | A | A− | B+ | C |
| Cherry Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Balkan Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lone Pine Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lavell Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nashwauk Township · Nashwauk | — | — | A+ | — | B− | C+ |
| Keewatin | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Great Scott Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nashwauk Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Nashwauk Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Cherry Township, Balkan Township, Lone Pine Township, Lavell Township, Keewatin and Great Scott Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Nashwauk and Nashwauk Township are one community, graded once. Compare Hibbing with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Hibbing grades A− overall, better than 80% of U.S. towns and #121 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades C for health, A− for safety and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
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.
38 notable people were born here, including Kevin McHale and Roger Maris.
