CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

45.06° N · 93.07° W · GEOID 2766460

Vadnais Heights

Ramsey County, Minnesota · part of the Minneapolis, MN metro

MinnesotaVadnais Heights, MNVadnais HeightsVadnais Heights

The short answer

Vadnais Heights is home to 12,838 people. Median household income is $98,685 a year and median rent is $1,455 a month, 17.7% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $363,100, about 3.7x annual median household income.

Vadnais Heights stands out for what is close at hand. OpenStreetMap shows 23.4 parks per 10,000 residents, more than in 88% of places its size.

80OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Strong

Vadnais Heights scores better than 80% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 77th of 151 in Minnesota.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%63
Economy 20%64
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%54
Education 10%74
Commute 10%64
Growth 5%49

Not rated: safety, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$1,455
7% above the median place
Median household income
$98,685
23% above the median place
Median home value
$363,100
14% above the median place
Unemployment
4.5%
7% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Vadnais Heights

  • SchoolsPublic schools here have 19.8 students per teacher, more than in 87% of the 1,707 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.
  • Work and commuting23% of workers mostly work from home, more than in 84% of the 2,241 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.
01

Moving to Vadnais Heights

Ramsey County loses about 10.2 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in29,989
Moved out34,500
Net−4,511

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Hennepin County, MN8,9108,655+255
Washington County, MN3,0655,568−2,503
Dakota County, MN2,6954,071−1,376
Anoka County, MN2,7213,880−1,159
Cook County, IL273307−34
Scott County, MN258312−54

Within Minnesota, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within MinnesotaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$57K
Leavers$69K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Ramsey County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
4.5% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.3% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Ramsey County report $57,200 a year in income on average; those leaving, $68,900, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$58,200 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,455 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,877 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $363,100.
Getting to work
23 minutes each way on average; 22.7% work from home; 3.7% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Oregon, WI matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
4.5%
22% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people8
-10.2
below the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8
$57,179
19% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureVadnais HeightsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year14.5%22% below
Moved from another state1County figure2.3%15% above
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure-10.2below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure$57,17919% below
Income of households moving out8County figure$68,8862% below
02

What it costs to live here

Vacant homes is 2.1%, 70% below the median place.

Vadnais Heights17.7%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$58,200
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
17.7%
13% below the median place
Home price to income
3.7x
3% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
18%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$78,900
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Vadnais Heights, $1,455 a month, and local prices for everything else (103.4 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Vadnais Heights, but easier on the budget

Places that match Vadnais Heights on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Oregon, WI9614.2% vs 17.7%$12,700Compare
Gorham, ME9614.7% vs 17.7%$29,500Compare
Rockford, MI9212.4% vs 17.7%$17,700Compare
Batavia, IL9113.5% vs 17.7%$23,400Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Vadnais Heights.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Vadnais Heights? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
2.1%
70% below the median place
Homeownership1
79.5%
20% above the median place
Median year built1
1985
0% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureVadnais HeightsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,4557% above
Rent to income117.7%13% below
Property tax rate11.1%22% above
Home price to income13.7x3% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure104.84% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,7347% above
HUD area median income4County figure$131,50023% above
Property tax paid (median)1$4,03924% above
Median home value1$363,10014% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure2.9%8% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure30.7%40% below
Homeownership179.5%20% above
Renters paying 30%+149.7%2% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,8770% above
Vacant homes12.1%70% below
Median year built119850% above
03

Work and pay

Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 135 hours a year commuting, less than in 78% of the 2,241 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

Poverty rate1
3.9%
64% below the median place
Works from home1
22.7%
82% above the median place
Income per person1
$57,103
43% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Median household income$98,685 +23%
Mean commute23 min −8%
Unemployment4.5% −7%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureVadnais HeightsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$98,68523% above
Income per person1$57,10343% above
Unemployment14.5%7% below
Average annual pay6County figure$81,31123% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.4%19% above
Jobs6County figure330,908120% above
Poverty rate13.9%64% below
Mean commute123 min8% below
Works from home122.7%82% above
Commutes by transit1County figure3.7%331% above
04

Who lives here

3.9% of residents live below the poverty line, fewer than in 90% of the 2,223 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

Homes with broadband1
95.4%
3% above the median place
Household size1
2.3
9% below the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
45.9%
43% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

High school or higher95.1% +3%
No health insurance5.1% −20%
Median age39.6 +2%
Born abroad8.8% +0%
All 9 people measures
MeasureVadnais HeightsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population112,8383405th largest
Population change since 202071.0%12% below
Median age139.62% above
Bachelor's or higher145.9%43% above
High school or higher195.1%3% above
Household size12.39% below
Born abroad18.8%0% above
No health insurance15.1%20% below
Homes with broadband195.4%3% above
05

Life in Vadnais Heights

OpenStreetMap shows 0 libraries per 10,000 residents, fewer than in 86% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 151 Minnesota places we track.

132 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 3 of them National Historic Landmarks. Its history on Wikipedia

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents23.4 2.3×
Playgrounds per 10k20.3 2.2×
Grocery stores per 10k3.1 +47%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k12.5 +12%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails1 km −70%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi2.3 11.0×

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Mississippi National River and Recreation Area 13 miles
  • Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway 31 miles
  • Effigy Mounds National Monument 165 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars22.2 +7%
Shops26.4 −13%
Arts, recreation and fitness5.4 +32%
Doctors' offices and clinics21.9 +8%
Child care centers2.4 +4%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public school students13
575
88% below the median place
Public schools13
3
67% below the median place
Students per teacher13
19.8
29% above the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureVadnais HeightsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools13367% below
Public school students1357588% below
Students per teacher1319.829% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure22.27% above
Shops per 10k9County figure26.413% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure5.432% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure21.98% above
Child care centers per 10k9County figure2.44% above
Parks per 10k1023.4130% above
Playgrounds per 10k1020.3115% above
Grocery stores per 10k103.147% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k1012.512% above
Libraries per 10k100.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails100.670% below
Transit stops per sq mi102.3above (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1113.058% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles1120% above
National Register listings12County figure132above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

January average low is 7°F, 74% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Vadnais Heights. Larger places are fetched first.

January average low14
7°F
74% below the median place
Average temperature14
45°F
17% below the median place
Median air quality index16
34
21% below the median place
All 10 weather and risk measures
MeasureVadnais HeightsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high14County figure82°F5% below
January average low14County figure7°F74% below
Average temperature14County figure45°F17% below
Annual precipitation14County figure32.5 in26% below
Natural hazard risk15County figure94.62% above
Tornado risk15County figure98.721% above
Wildfire risk15County figure52.614% below
Heat wave risk15County figure98.29% above
Median air quality index16County figure3421% below
Good air days16County figure70.1%2% above
08

Vadnais Heights in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 18% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 18% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Vadnais Heights does better than 61% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 57%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,455/mo (2024)$1,870/mo$1,530 to $2,280/mo+4.3%
Median household income$98,685 (2024)$125,000$105,500 to $147,500+4.0%
Median home value$363,100 (2024)$523,000$380,000 to $721,000+6.3%
Population13,052 (2025)13,26012,720 to 13,830+0.3%

The median home would be worth 4.2 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.7 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Vadnais Heights

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Lee's Summit, MO$1,422$102,531Compare
Downingtown, PA$1,518$96,228Compare
Carol Stream, IL$1,529$102,309Compare
Spanish Fort, AL$1,390$99,346Compare
Spanish Fort, ALCarol Stream, ILDowningtown, PALee's Summit, MOVadnais Heights, MNVadnais HeightsLee's SummitDowningtownCarol StreamSpanish FortVadnais HeightsLee's SummitDowningtownCarol StreamSpanish Fort

Places built like Vadnais Heights

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Vadnais Heights performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Vadnais Heights, MN17.7%5.0%/yr1.0%
Stillwater, MN18.4%3.0%/yr-0.1%Compare
Little Canada, MN21.8%8.1%/yr-2.5%Compare
Oakdale, MN19.0%5.3%/yr8.1%Compare
Inver Grove Heights, MN17.4%5.3%/yr3.0%Compare
Forest Lake, MN18.3%3.1%/yr1.6%Compare
Mounds View, MN16.6%6.0%/yr-3.5%Compare

Common questions

Is Vadnais Heights a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 80 out of 100, better than 80% of the places we rate and 77th of 151 in Minnesota. Public schools here have 19.8 students per teacher, more than in 87% of the 1,707 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. 23% of workers mostly work from home, more than in 84% of the 2,241 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 64 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Vadnais Heights expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 17.7% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $363,100.

What salary do you need to live in Vadnais Heights?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $58,200 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Vadnais Heights?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Lee's Summit, MO, Downingtown, PA, Carol Stream, IL and Spanish Fort, AL.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  12. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  13. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  14. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  15. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  16. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Vadnais Heights with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Vadnais Heights itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/vadnais-heights-minnesota

Citytistics. “Vadnais Heights, Minnesota.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/vadnais-heights-minnesota/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.