Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Because it does well by almost any measure. Shorewood earns an A, 47th of 271 graded towns in Minnesota. On CDC health estimates it is near the top nationally, its schools outperform 98% of the state's, and the median household earns $171K. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $830K, 8.3 years of the Minneapolis metro’s $100K median household income. 72% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Shorewood, above both Minnesota’s towns (33%) and U.S. towns (29%). Only 5 of the 231 Minnesota towns we compare have a higher typical home value than Shorewood. Shorewood is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 76% of U.S. towns.
Where Shorewood beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Shorewood | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.2% | 11.4% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Minnewashta Elementary | K–5 | 880 |
| Our Savior School | PK–K | 64 |
| Shorewood Education Center | 12 | 35 |
Where Shorewood’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 Shorewood is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 317 in 1860, 7,783 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 4 maps from 1905 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Shorewood. Close and well known come first.
Big draw17 mi Stadium & arenaU.S. Bank Stadium
3 mi LakeLake Minnetonka
16 mi Stadium & arenaTarget Field
10 mi Theme parkValleyfair
19 mi Stadium & arenaHuntington Bank Stadium
24 mi Stadium & arenaGrand Casino ArenaU.S. Bank Stadium: Darb02, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Minnetonka: Dan, CC BY 2.0 · Target Field: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Valleyfair: https://www.flickr.com/photos/clumpinglitter/, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Huntington Bank Stadium: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Grand Casino Arena: AlexiusHoratius, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Shorewood, 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 Shorewood.
Shorewood is among the three healthiest towns in Minnesota and has schools in the top 5% of Minnesota, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Minnesota.
At 8.3 years of the Minneapolis metro’s $100K median household income, the typical home (about $830K) costs more against local pay than in 98% of Minnesota towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $7,414, against $3,357 across Minnesota, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
93% of households own their home in Shorewood. Typical home values rose 4.8% in the year to September 2026. The typical Shorewood home is worth about $830,000, up 4.8% in a year, more than twice the Minnesota typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #1 of the 274 Minnesota towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $830K.
Its public schools are run by the Minnetonka Public School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnewashta ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 880 | A |
| Shorewood Education CenterLargest public high schoolGrades 12 | Grades 12 | 35 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
It ranks #2 of the 271 Minnesota towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with Minnesota is food insecurity: 5.2% of its 5,854 adults worry about having enough food, against 11.4% statewide.
23% of Shorewood adults sleep under 7 hours. Among 271 Minnesota towns, just 3 have a lower share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Shorewood. 14% of Shorewood adults get no exercise outside work.
| Shorewood | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 30% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 35% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Shorewood | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.2% | 11.4% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 3% | 5.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.7% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Shorewood has 1,037 jobs for its 3,471 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here grew from 784 in 2013 to 1,037.
Only 8 of the 273 Minnesota towns we compare have a higher median household income than Shorewood. Since 2013, Shorewood has added 253 jobs, to 1,037 in 2023. Most working residents leave Shorewood for work: only 3% work in town.
| Shorewood | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $171,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.6% | 9.9% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.2% | 7.1% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Shorewood.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Chanhassen Wsfo weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 160 days: shorter than most of the country, but longer than 84% of Minnesota places with climate records. July afternoons average 82.3°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 85% of Minnesota places with climate records; January nights average 6.1°.
Shorewood has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Shorewood’s January low is 6°F. About 55 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Shorewood | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 6°F | 6°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1.5 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Freeman Park, at 58 acres. The trail density in Shorewood is 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Shorewood | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.3% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Freeman Park | — | 58 |
| 2. Badger Park | — | 8 |
| 3. Silverwood Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
7 within 15 miles of the center of Shorewood
About 4 of every 100 Shorewood residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
10 towns share a border with Shorewood.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shorewood | #47 | A | D | — | A+ | A+ |
| Excelsior | — | — | C | — | A+ | A+ |
| Greenwood | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tonka Bay | — | — | D− | — | A+ | A+ |
| Deephaven | #3 | A+ | C | A+ | A+ | A+ |
| Chanhassen | #72 | A | C− | — | A | A+ |
| Orono | #56 | A | D | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Mound | #18 | A+ | B− | — | A+ | A |
Excelsior and Tonka Bay have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Shorewood, Excelsior, Tonka Bay, Chanhassen and Mound report no FBI crime data of their own. Greenwood isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Shorewood with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Shorewood grades A overall, better than 94% of U.S. towns and #47 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades A+ for health and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. 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 D.
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