Living in Hermantown, Minnesota: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 11.2% below the U.S. average in the Duluth metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 4.2 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood5 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 0.5 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 20.4 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town5 public schools: 1 elementary, 2 middle and 2 high schools.
A hospital close byEssentia Health St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth, about 7 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityMinneapolis is about 136 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Hermantown meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

A suburb, not a stand-alone small town

Hermantown runs into the built-up area around Duluth (Census Bureau, 2020 urban areas). We include suburbs under 20,000 people because some still feel like small towns, but daily life here is closer to the suburbs than to the towns Frank and Dave's book describes. Weigh it against towns farther out.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $382,300U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 21%St. Louis County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,463 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $90,849U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 73%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $4,010 a yearMinnesota: $3,357
Homes built before 1940: 8%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 15%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 1%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 88.8U.S. average = 100 (the Duluth metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 21% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Duluth metro area, not Hermantown alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 10,1102020: 10,050
Median age: 38.7 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 17%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 23%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 40%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 7%U.S.: 6%
College students: 5%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (34%); retail (14%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (11%)
Unemployment rate: 2%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 18 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 11%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 5%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Essentia Health St. Mary's Medical Center, Duluth, MN, about 7 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

5 public schools in Hermantown, run by Hermantown Community Schools and Proctor Public School District.

Colleges in or next to town: Lake Superior College (1,000 to 4,999 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Minnesota's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 74%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 88%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 2°F
July average high: 78°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 2 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 177 a year
Rain and melted snow: 31.2 inches a year
Snow: 90 inches a year
Elevation: 1,329 feet

Weather station: Duluth (3 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Essentia Health St. Mary's Medical CenterEmergency room7

Duluth, MNCity of 88,0005

Minneapolis, MNMetro of 3.8 million136

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Essentia Health St. Mary's Medical Center, Duluth, Minneapolis.

St. Louis County is in a metro area of 250,000 to 1 million people (USDA rural-urban code 2, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

North Country National Scenic Trail34 miles
Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway39 miles
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore56 miles

Read about Hermantown's history on Wikipedia.

Know Hermantown?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Proctor, MN3,100 people, 4 miles
Rice Lake, MN4,200 people, 9 miles
Cloquet, MN12,400 people, 13 miles
Two Harbors, MN3,400 people, 31 miles
Lake Nebagamon, WI1,100 people, 33 miles
Moose Lake, MN2,900 people, 35 miles

Smaller places

Esko, MN (unincorporated)1,813 people, 9 miles
Scanlon, MN989 people, 11 miles
Oliver, WI409 people, 11 miles
Superior, WI664 people, 12 miles
Carlton, MN965 people, 14 miles
Wrenshall, MN457 people, 14 miles
Mahnomen, MN (unincorporated)195 people, 14 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.