Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,979, settled in 1878. 43% more nonprofits per person than the typical Minnesota town.
Trash & recyclingScandia's standout: the median household earns $102K. Overall it grades B+, ranked 152nd of 271 in Minnesota. It is healthier than 83% of U.S. towns. Scandia’s average trip to work is 33 minutes, where Minnesota’s towns sit at 23 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. On civic life, just 26 of Minnesota’s 572 towns do better. The biggest place to walk is William O'Brien State Park, 1,319 acres with 12.3 miles of trail.
Where Scandia beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Scandia | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.3% | 8.9% |
Where Scandia’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Scandia is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,692 in 2000, 3,984 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1985 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Scandia, 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 Scandia.
Scandia has less tooth loss than most of Minnesota and sends most of its workers to Minneapolis and beyond.
The typical Scandia home is worth about $554,000, up 4.6% in a year, 59% above the Minnesota typical home. 89% of households own their home in Scandia.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Forest Lake Public School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scandia ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 311 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Minnesota is tooth loss: 4.3% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 8.9% statewide.
24% of Scandia adults sleep under 7 hours. Among 271 Minnesota towns, just 9 have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Scandia. 20% of Scandia adults get no exercise outside work.
| Scandia | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 30% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 16% |
| What stands out | Scandia | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.3% | 8.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.2% | 11.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Scandia has 476 jobs for its 1,850 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 33 minutes, against 22.7 across Minnesota.
Most working residents leave Scandia for work: only 5% work in town. Since 2013, Scandia has added 91 jobs, to 476 in 2023. The top destinations are Minneapolis (11%), St.
| Scandia | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 1.9% | 7.1% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $102,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.6% | 9.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 10% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 28% of residents (17% statewide). The median age in Scandia is 46 years. 41% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 39% across Minnesota.
| Scandia | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 46 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 33% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.8 points. Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Scandia | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15.3% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 2.5% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.1% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.4% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.8% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 19.8% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.1% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.5% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.9% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.1% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.7% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 29% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.9% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,000, single groups can be off by several points
| Scandia | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.3% | 4.6% | 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. William O'Brien State Park | 12.3 mi | 1,319 |
| 2. Wind In The Pines Preserve | 1.2 mi | 44 |
| 3. Crystal Spring Scientific and Natural Area | 0.5 mi | 60 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Scandia has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Scandia’s July high is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 65% of U.S. communities. Since 2014, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Scandia.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Scandia. Close and well known come first.
Big draw28 mi Stadium & arenaU.S. Bank Stadium
27 mi Stadium & arenaHuntington Bank Stadium
25 mi Stadium & arenaGrand Casino Arena
29 mi Stadium & arenaTarget Field
26 mi Stadium & arenaAllianz Field
34 mi Theme parkNickelodeon UniverseU.S. Bank Stadium: Darb02, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Huntington Bank Stadium: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Grand Casino Arena: AlexiusHoratius, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Target Field: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Allianz Field: Andy Witchger, CC BY 2.0 · Nickelodeon Universe: Tyler Vigen, CC BY 4.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Scandia
About 0 of every 100 Scandia residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
3 places in Scandia on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Minnesota, United States
Scandia is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,984 at the 2020 census. Scandia is 25 miles northeast of Saint Paul, Minnesota.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Scandia.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scandia | #152 | B+ | C+ | — | B | A− |
| Forest Lake | #168 | B+ | C+ | B− | B | A− |
| May Township | #149 | B+ | C | — | A− | A |
| Chisago Lake Township | #103 | A− | B− | — | A− | A− |
| Marine on St. Croix | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Franconia Township | — | — | C | — | A− | A− |
| Chisago City | #140 | A− | C+ | — | A− | B+ |
Franconia Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Scandia, May Township, Chisago Lake Township, Franconia Township and Chisago City report no FBI crime data of their own. Marine on St. Croix isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Scandia with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Scandia grades B+ overall, better than 73% of U.S. towns and #152 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades A− for health and B for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
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