Big Lake, MN vs St. Cloud, MN

Side-by-side comparison from the latest government data.

MetricBig Lake, MNSt. Cloud, MN
Population12,36770,629
Median Household Income$120,549$61,374
Median Rent$1,340/mo$1,003/mo
Median Home Value$330,200$225,000
Cost of Living (US = 100)10588
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income46.9%46.2%
Poverty Rate5.6%20.2%
Unemployment Rate4.1% (county)4.4%
Violent Crime Rate /100k91361
Property Crime Rate /100k4952,520
Median AQI—37
Good AQI Days /yr—270
Summer Highs81°F79°F
Winter Lows7°F6°F
Snowfall36 in/yr48 in/yr
Avg Commute33.2 min19.8 min
Hospitals—2
Avg Hospital Rating—4.0 / 5
Students per Teacher15.413.6
College Degree Rate26.8%30.4%
Foreign-Born %5.2%13.5%
Population Growth (2020–2025)+10.6%+4.4%

Green = clearly better (more than 5% apart). Population, growth, weather, hospital count and foreign-born share aren’t scored.