Duluth vs St. Paul
The short version
- Duluth is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 15% lower than in the St. Paul area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $242,700 in Duluth and $294,500 in St. Paul.
- Households earn more in St. Paul ($73,394 vs $68,807 median).
- Duluth gets far more snow: 90 inches a year vs 51.
- Duluth is growing faster: +1.7% since 2020 vs -1.5%.
- Commutes are shorter in Duluth (17 vs 21 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Duluth, MN | St. Paul, MN | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 88,330 | 306,684 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1.7% | -1.5% |
| People per square mile | 1,233 | 5,900 |
| Median age | 35.2 | 33.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 44% | 44% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $68,807 | $73,394 |
| Median home value | $242,700 | $294,500 |
| Home value to income | 3.5× | 4.0× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,087 | $1,281 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 88.8 | 104.8 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 71.1 | 111.8 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $66,600 | $78,600 |
| Homeowners | 59% | 53% |
| Top state income tax | 9.85% | 9.85% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.14% | 8.14% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 17.3 | 21.1 |
| Work from home | 13% | 20% |
| Take public transit | 3% | 5% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.7% | 5.4% |
| Poverty rate | 16.8% | 15.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 20° / 2° | 24° / 9° |
| July high / low | 78° / 56° | 83° / 65° |
| Precipitation per year | 31 in | 32 in |
| Snowfall per year | 90 in | 51 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 2 | 13 |
| Nights below freezing | 177 | 147 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 91.6 | 94.6 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 66% | 55% |
| Home prices, past year | +4% | +2.6% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +48.7% | +27.3% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Duluth: June to September. St. Paul: May and July to September.
Full monthly tables: Duluth weather by month and St. Paul weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $66,600 in Duluth and $78,600 in St. Paul. Moving from Duluth to St. Paul, you would need about $88,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Duluth and St. Paul
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Duluth and St. Paul.
Which would you pick?
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