Cottage Grove, MN — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Minnesota·Cottage Grove

Washington County · Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington · population 42,760

Growing fast
Cottage Grove, MN
Image: Wikipedia · Cottage Grove, Minnesota
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
69
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Cottage Grove stands

At or near all-time high. population growing 2.4% per year.

Median home $400,369
1-year +1.8%
5-yr CAGR +2.7%
vs 5-yr peak -0.0%
Population +2.4%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-03$400k$231k$293k$355k$416k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
32/100
Very car-dependent
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
$1,935/mo$1,691$1,879$2,06720242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent10310810020242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 17.2
Lean buy

At a 17.2 price-to-rent ratio, Cottage Grove 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
59 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
51 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
84 · w16%
Rent YoY
74 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
60 · w10%
Long thesis

Cottage Grove has held up across the cycle: home values at $400,369 with +2.7% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Cottage Grove'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 Cottage Grove

Cottage Grove is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, with an estimated population of 42,760. It anchors the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro area. The population has grown 2.4% per year on average between 2020 and 2024 — among the faster-growing communities in the state. The median home value in Cottage Grove is $400,369 as of 2026-04, up 1.8% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +2.7% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Cottage Grove average $1,935 per month, up 4.3% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 69 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●People are voting with their feet: population growing 2.4% per year since 2020 — that’s faster than ~80% of US cities.
●Held the highs: currently -0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Cottage Grove (Wikipedia)

Cottage Grove is a city 10 miles (16 km) south of Saint Paul in Washington County in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It lies on the north bank of the Mississippi River, north of the confluence with the St. Croix River. Cottage Grove and nearby suburbs form the southeast portion of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, the 16th-largest metropolitan area in the United States, with about 3.69 million residents. Its population was 38,839 at the 2020 census.

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

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

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

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

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

Cities like Cottage Grove

Shakopee, MN68 · RisingBlaine, MN67 · RisingChaska, MN69 · RisingWoodbury, MN65 · Rising

Run the numbers for Cottage Grove

ToolCan I afford Cottage Grove?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Cottage Grove rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Cottage Grove to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolCottage Grove 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 Cottage Grove 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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