Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
2.3 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Minnesota town.
Plenty to like here, at a price. Its strongest subject is health: residents are healthier than 89% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Stillwater’s overall grade of A puts it better than 91% of U.S. towns, 67th of 271 in Minnesota. Schools are another plus: its schools rank ahead of 85% of Minnesota towns. The catch is cost of living (C): the typical home is worth about $454K, 4.5 years of the Minneapolis metro’s $100K median household income. Hazard risk is weaker too: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than nearly two thirds of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Only 4 of Minnesota’s 572 towns score higher on civic life. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 13 places on the National Register.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index.
Where Stillwater beats most towns.
Washington County Courthouse
Its founding year, 1843, comes before those of 98% of the Minnesota towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 2,380 in 1860, a low of 2,380 in 1860, 19,394 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1867 and 5 maps from 1948 on.
13 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Stillwater is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Stillwater. Close and well known come first.
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaU.S. Bank Stadium
15 mi Stadium & arenaGrand Casino Arena
20 mi Stadium & arenaHuntington Bank Stadium
23 mi Stadium & arenaTarget Field
18 mi Stadium & arenaAllianz Field
15 mi MuseumMinnesota State CapitolU.S. Bank Stadium: Darb02, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Grand Casino Arena: AlexiusHoratius, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Huntington Bank Stadium: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Target Field: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Allianz Field: Andy Witchger, CC BY 2.0 · Minnesota State Capitol: McGhiever, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Stillwater, 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 Stillwater.
Stillwater trades workers with St. Paul and other neighbors, sees little violent crime and gets more snow than most of the country, though not than most of Minnesota.
The share of adults in Stillwater who get no exercise outside work: 19%. 27% of adults feel lonely locally, against 30% in Minnesota’s towns and 33% across U.S. towns. This Minnesota town beats the Minnesota average on 15 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Stillwater | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 30% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Stillwater | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.6% | 11.4% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.1% | 7.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.7% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Three of the 19 schools are below, and why each made the list. Its public schools are run by the Stillwater Area Public Schools. The 6 public schools in Stillwater teach 1,538 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stillwater Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 939 | A− |
| St. Croix Valley Area Learning CNTR.Largest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 75 | – |
| Gate 4/5Top results in townGrades 4–5 | Grades 4–5 | 64 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
The biggest park or preserve is Public Works Park, at 24 acres. Walkers can cover 6.0 miles of trail in 31 parks and preserves. Stillwater’s trail density is 0.7 miles per square mile, close to Minnesota’s towns (0.5) and above U.S. towns (0.4).
| Stillwater | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.8% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lumberjack Landing | 0.4 mi | 20 |
| 2. North Lowell Park | 0.4 mi | 6 |
| 3. Public Works Park | 0.3 mi | 24 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Zillow values the typical Stillwater home at about $454,000, up 4% in a year, 30% above the Minnesota typical home. Its median rent is $1,622 a month. On the market here: a median 22 days to sell.
| Stillwater | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,622 a month | $1,192 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Violent crime is rare: 15 reported in 2025, 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
In Stillwater, the violent offense rate is 0.8 per 1,000 residents. Its property crime rate comes in at 8.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Stillwater | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.5 per 1,000 residents | 8.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The U Of Mn St Paul weather station, 18 miles away, records that 40 inches of snow fall in a normal winter: more than most of the country, but less than 83% 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 6.3°.
Stillwater’s January low stands at 6°F. Its July high is 82°F.
| Stillwater | 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
FEMA puts 64% of Stillwater’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 13% to tornadoes. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 66% of U.S. communities. This Minnesota town has had 12 paid flood insurance claims since 1979.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Stillwater has about as many jobs (8,904) as working residents, but only 1,383 people both live and work here.
Among working residents in Stillwater, 15% work locally. Jobs based in Stillwater grew to 8,904 in 2023, 832 more than in 2013. The typical journey to work here is 20 minutes. Half commute less than 16 miles.
| Stillwater | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 22% | 14% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $106,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 9.7% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
2 within 15 miles of the center of Stillwater
About 4 of every 100 Stillwater residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
13 places in Stillwater on the National Register of Historic Places.
29 notable people were born in Stillwater.
City in Minnesota, United States
Stillwater is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Washington County. It is in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, on the west bank of the St. Croix River, across from Houlton, Wisconsin. Stillwater's population was 19,394 at the 2020 census. Stillwater is often called "the birthplace of Minnesota" due to its role in the establishment of the state.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Stillwater.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stillwater | #67 | A | C | B+ | A | A |
| Oak Park Heights | #165 | B+ | C | C− | A | A− |
| Stillwater Township | — | — | C+ | — | A | A |
| Grant | #86 | A | D | — | A | A |
Stillwater Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Stillwater Township and Grant report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Stillwater with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Stillwater grades A overall, better than 91% of U.S. towns and #67 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades A for health, B+ for safety and A for schools.
29 notable people were born here, including Denis McDonough and Olive Ann Alcorn.
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