Cottage Grove, MN vs Melissa, TX

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Cottage Grove

77.4

#246 nationally

vs

Melissa

74.8

#551 nationally

Cottage Grove leads in average commute (25.3 min vs 32.6 min). Melissa leads in median household income ($138,465 vs $117,673). Melissa leads in crime level (1.0 vs 1.1).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric Cottage Grove, MN Melissa, TX
WhereAtHome Score 77.4 (#246) 74.8 (#551)
Population 42,056 23,571
Typical Home Value (ZHVI) $402,376 $430,394
Median Household Income $117,673 $138,465
Average Commute 25.3 min 32.6 min
Walk Score 16 N/A
Crime Level 1.1 1.0
School Rating N/A N/A
Cost of Living Index 114 125
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored D+8.9 R+11.2

Data coverage note: Melissa is missing data for 1 metric that Cottage Grove has. Scores with less coverage are penalized — see our methodology.