What it's like to live in Albert Lea
Albert Lea is a small city in Minnesota with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, crime rates well below the national average, and commutes that run shorter than most cities. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Albert Lea deals with household incomes below the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, cold, harsh winters, and snowy winters.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low crime rates
- Short commutes
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Low college degree attainment
- Cold, harsh winters
- Snowy winters — 40" per year
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Albert Lea compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Albert Lea
Based on Albert Lea's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,714
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $34,280 a year
- 46% of Albert Lea renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$31,500
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $15,750
- Homes cost 2.4× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 39% below US
$857/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $857 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $157,500. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $157,500 · 46% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.9% county unemployment
Unemployment in Freeborn County is 3.9%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Freeborn County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 63% below US
122 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 1964/100k · Albert Lea Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 32% below US
18 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 17.8 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 7% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 80°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 10°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 5.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 52% below US
17% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
8 public schools inside the boundary
There are 8 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Mississippi National River & Recreation Area (90 miles away).
Bottom line
Albert Lea's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and college degree attainment below the national average. A year of median rent ($857/mo) equals 16% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, anyone prioritizing low crime, and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive and anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.
Other places near Albert Lea
All Minnesota guides →Moving to Owatonna →
31 mi away · pop. 26,498
Rent $1,067/mo · Income $80,750
Compare with Albert Lea →Moving to Faribault →
45 mi away · pop. 24,631
Rent $1,074/mo · Income $61,449
Compare with Albert Lea →Not sure Albert Lea is the one?
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