Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Washington instead of Minnesota, you would:
Economy
make 28.2% more money
Minnesota has a GDP per capita of $68,478 as of 2024, while in Washington, the GDP per capita is $87,768 as of 2024.
be 23.3% more likely to be unemployed
In Minnesota, 4.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Washington, that number is 5.3% as of 2025.
Safety
be 35.7% more likely to be a victim of violent crime
Minnesota has a violent crime rate of 257 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Washington, that number is 349 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 68.2% more likely to be a victim of property crime
Minnesota has a property crime rate of 1,675 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Washington, that number is 2,819 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Housing & Income
pay 70.1% more for a home
The median home value in Minnesota is $305,500 as of 2023, compared to $519,800 in Washington as of 2023.
pay 36.2% more in rent
The median monthly gross rent in Minnesota is $1,235 as of 2023, while in Washington, it is $1,682 as of 2023.
be 11.7% less likely to own your home
In Minnesota, 72.4% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied as of 2023. In Washington, that number is 63.9% as of 2023.
Lifestyle
be 21.6% less likely to smoke
In Minnesota, 13.9% of adults smoke as of 2022. In Washington, that number is 10.9% as of 2022.
be 11.8% less likely to be physically inactive
In Minnesota, 19.5% of adults are physically inactive as of 2022. In Washington, that number is 17.2% as of 2022.
be 2.2 times more likely to have a foreign-born neighbor
In Minnesota, 3.5% of the population was born outside the US as of 2023. In Washington, that number is 7.6% as of 2023.
commute 3.9 minutes longer
The average one-way commute in Minnesota takes 23.1 minutes as of 2023. In Washington, it takes 27.0 minutes as of 2023.
be 35.6% more likely to be uninsured
In Minnesota, 4.5% of the population is without health insurance as of 2023. In Washington, that number is 6.1% as of 2023.
live in an area that is 63.4% more densely populated
Minnesota has a population density of 27.9 people per sq km as of 2023. In Washington, that number is 45.6 people per sq km as of 2023.
be 28.4% more likely to be food insecure
In Minnesota, 6.7% of the population is food insecure as of 2021. In Washington, that number is 8.6% as of 2021.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2023), Feeding America (2021). How we calculate this
