Should I Move To
Roughly 44,443 people live in Moorhead, Minnesota. Living here costs affordable relative to the rest of the country, 13% below the national average. Median rent runs about $997/mo; the typical household pulls in $68,680. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 46/100 — a D, putting it at #662 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
By the composite index, Moorhead sits at 87 — affordable when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($997/mo against $68,680 median household income), housing eats roughly 17% of a typical paycheck — comfortably under the 30% rule of thumb, which is unusual. Buying-side, the median home value is $234,300.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is cold-winter: roughly 81°F in summer, 12°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 32 inches. Almost entirely car-dependent. Sidewalks exist; they just don't connect to where you need to go. AQI runs about 39 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Moorhead isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 54/100 — a C-. Its standout dimension is affordability (88/100); the soft spot is climate (3/100).
For retirees, Moorhead isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 43/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is affordability (88/100); the soft spot is climate (3/100).
For remote workers, Moorhead isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 53/100 — a C-. Its standout dimension is affordability (88/100); the soft spot is climate (3/100).
For young professionals, Moorhead isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 41/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is affordability (88/100); the soft spot is climate (3/100).
Our overall score for Moorhead is 46/100 — a D, sitting at #662 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Moorhead sits at 87 — affordable, 13% below the national average. Median renter pays around $997 a month.
Moorhead runs cold-winter on the weather. Summer's near 81°F, winter's near 12°F; 32 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 23/100. Almost entirely car-dependent. Sidewalks exist; they just don't connect to where you need to go.
Roughly 44,443 people live here, with 40% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 31.
Drop Moorhead into the comparison tool with any other US city and you'll get housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life data lined up side by side. Profile-specific leaderboards (families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals) are linked from the navigation.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Moorhead with other Minnesota cities scored on UrbRank.
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