Minnesota · Off-grid & homestead potential

Stearns County

53BoltScore / 100
#74 of 87 in Minnesota

Stearns County is a solid bolthole (53/100). Its strengths are almost no federal land or extraction and decent rainfall (29.3″/yr). The trade-offs: elevated natural-hazard exposure and a short, cold growing season (43°F avg).

How Stearns County scores

Hazard Safety12
Freedom56
Food42
Isolation59
Sovereignty78
Water68
Affordability58
$320kTypical home
1%Property tax
$5,605Land / acre
29.3"Annual rain
6.7% of yrsSevere drought
77 miNearest metro
119.9People / sq mi
1.9%Federal land
43°FAvg temp

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Living off-grid in Stearns County, Minnesota

Is Stearns County a good place to live off-grid or homestead?

Stearns County is a solid bolthole (53/100). Its strengths: almost no federal land or extraction and decent rainfall (29.3″/yr). Watch-outs: elevated natural-hazard exposure and a short, cold growing season (43°F avg).

How much does land cost in Stearns County, Minnesota?

Land in Stearns County runs about $5,605 per acre, based on the latest county data.

What is the water situation in Stearns County?

Stearns County gets about 29.3" of rain a year, with severe drought in roughly 6.7% of years.

How remote is Stearns County?

The nearest major metro is about 77 miles away, and population density is 119.9 people per square mile.

How Stearns compares in Minnesota

See all 87 Minnesota counties ranked →