Apple Valley, MN — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Minnesota·Apple Valley

Dakota County · Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington · population 55,272

Apple Valley, MN
Image: Wikipedia · Apple Valley, Minnesota
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
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61
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Apple Valley stands

At or near all-time high.

Median home $378,933
1-year +1.3%
5-yr CAGR +3.0%
vs 5-yr peak -0.1%
Population -0.5%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-03$379k$219k$277k$336k$395k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
52/100
Somewhat walkable
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
82/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$2,011/mo$1,514$1,824$2,133202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent116125100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 15.7
Lean buy

At a 15.7 price-to-rent ratio, Apple Valley is in the 'depends on horizon' zone. Buy if you'll be there 5+ years and value flexibility on the home; rent if you might move, want zero maintenance friction, or expect rates to drop.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
57 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
53 · w22%
Distance from peak
89 · w18%
Population growth
38 · w16%
Rent YoY
72 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
60 · w10%
Long thesis

Apple Valley has held up across the cycle: home values at $378,933 with +3.0% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Apple Valley's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Apple Valley

Apple Valley is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, with an estimated population of 55,272. It anchors the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro area. The median home value in Apple Valley is $378,933 as of 2026-04, up 1.3% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +3.0% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Apple Valley average $2,011 per month, up 4.1% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 61 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

▲ Bull case

●Held the highs: currently -0.1% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
○The data is the data: Apple Valley has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 2-criteria momentum score on this page.

▼ Bear case

●Flat or shrinking population: -0.5% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — verify the source.
○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Apple Valley (Wikipedia)

Apple Valley is a city in northwestern Dakota County, Minnesota, and a suburb of the Twin Cities. The population was 56,374 at the 2020 census, making it the 17th most populous city in Minnesota.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorClint Hooppaw
Area17.55 sq mi
Elevation974 ft
Incorporated1969
Motto"Plant, Grow, Prosper"
Density3341.47/sq mi

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

Lifestyle fit matters more than market timing in a Stable market. Take your time on the home and neighborhood; the macro trend isn't urgent. Negotiate normally.

Seller

Price competitively from day one or risk a 60+ day listing. Staging, photography, and presentation matter more in Stable markets than in Hot ones.

Investor

Stable cap rates, no big appreciation story to lean on. Underwrite this as a pure cash-flow play — the math has to work on rent alone.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Dakota County right now.

NWS active alerts (MN)Minnesota Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Dakota County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Apple Valley

10 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Cedar Knolls$579,351+1.1%
2Industrial District$530,625+0.8%
3Zoo$477,388+0.9%
4Alimagnet$433,099+0.6%
5Scott Highlands$419,731+1.5%
6Johnny Cake$379,928+0.5%
7Downtown$371,351+2.1%
8Old Town$363,207+2.6%
9Redwood$362,262+2.3%
10Galaxie Commons$280,787-1.9%

Cities like Apple Valley

Eagan, MN58 · StableBrooklyn Park, MN61 · StableMaplewood, MN60 · StableSt. Louis Park, MN59 · Stable

Run the numbers for Apple Valley

ToolCan I afford Apple Valley?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Apple Valley rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Apple Valley to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolApple Valley cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
22° / 4°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
82° / 62°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
198
~54% of year
Annual precip
28″ rain
45″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
High
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
Low

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Apple Valley listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
71%
Humid climate
Median household income
$84,300
Minnesota state median
Top industries (state-level)
Medical DevicesFinanceManufacturing

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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