St. Cloud, MN vs Big Lake, MN

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

MetricSt. Cloud, MNBig Lake, MN
Population70,62912,367
Median Household Income$61,374$120,549
Median Rent$1,003/mo$1,340/mo
Median Home Value$225,000$330,200
Cost of Living (US = 100)88105
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income46.2%46.9%
Poverty Rate20.2%5.6%
Unemployment Rate4.4%4.1% (county)
Violent Crime Rate /100k36191
Property Crime Rate /100k2,520495
Median AQI37—
Good AQI Days /yr270—
Summer Highs79°F81°F
Winter Lows6°F7°F
Snowfall48 in/yr36 in/yr
Avg Commute19.8 min33.2 min
Hospitals2—
Avg Hospital Rating4.0 / 5—
Students per Teacher13.615.4
College Degree Rate30.4%26.8%
Foreign-Born %13.5%5.2%
Population Growth (2020–2025)+4.4%+10.6%

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