What it's like to live in Victoria
Victoria is a small city in Minnesota with county unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, a highly educated workforce, and a population that has grown fast since 2020. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Victoria deals with home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, larger class sizes than the national average, and cold, harsh winters.
The good
- Low unemployment in the county
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Highly educated workforce
- Fast-growing population
The not so good
- High home prices
- Above-average commute times
- High student-teacher ratio
- Cold, harsh winters
- Snowy winters — 52" per year
How Victoria compares
Median household income
Median home value
What it takes to move to Victoria
Based on Victoria's median rent, home value and household income
To buy
$116,240
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $58,120
- Homes cost 3.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Job market
3.4% county unemployment
Unemployment in Carver County is 3.4%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Carver County (county-wide)
Safety
49 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Victoria doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Carver County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 383/100k · Policed by Carver County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 34% above US
35 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 34.9 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 6 in 10 workers drive to work; 33% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 80°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 8°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 84% above US
66% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.
Schools
1 public school inside the boundary
There is 1 public school inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 19:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Mississippi National River & Recreation Area (28 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Victoria's strongest points are county unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are home prices well above the national average and commute times longer than most cities. It tends to suit job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low), remote workers (33% of workers here already work from home), and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for people who dread long commutes and anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.
Other places near Victoria
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