What it's like to live in Winona
Winona is a small city in Minnesota with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, unemployment below the national average, and crime rates well below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Winona deals with household incomes below the national average, a poverty rate above the national average, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, and cold, harsh winters.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment
- Low crime rates
- Short commutes
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- High poverty rate
- High rent burden for renters
- Cold, harsh winters
- Snowy winters — 38" per year
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Winona compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Winona
Based on Winona's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,764
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $35,280 a year
- 56% of Winona renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$40,360
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $20,180
- Homes cost 3.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 38% below US
$882/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $882 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 $201,800. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $201,800 · 56% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 28% below US
3.1% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.1%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 53% below US
156 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 2281/100k · Winona Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 47% below US
14 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 13.8 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 9% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 81°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 12°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 2.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforceNear US average
36% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 36% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
12 public schools inside the boundary
There are 12 public schools inside the boundary and 6 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 13:1, 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 Effigy Mounds National Monument (71 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Winona'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 a poverty rate above the national average. A year of median rent ($882/mo) equals 19% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, job seekers, and anyone prioritizing low crime. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive and anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.
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