Is Sleepy Eye, MN a Good Place to Live?
Sleepy Eye is a small town of 3,452 in Minnesota, with a median household income of $63,163 and a 4.2% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 92 (US average = 100), which is 8% below the national average.
Strengths: Sleepy Eye stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, lower-than-average crime, solid school ratings (B), short average commutes.
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Sleepy Eye is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Sleepy Eye city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.
Cost of Living
Index: 92.5Sleepy Eye's overall cost of living index is 92.5, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Sleepy Eye costs roughly 8% less than the average American city.
| Metric | Sleepy Eye, MN | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $130,000 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $755 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 84.6% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $63,163 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Very SafeSleepy Eye's violent crime rate is 114.4 per 100,000 residents — 70% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
Sleepy Eye is served primarily by SLEEPY EYE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT. The student-to-teacher ratio is 11.8:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Sleepy Eye, MN | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | SLEEPY EYE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT | — |
| Elementary Schools | 1 | — |
| Middle Schools | N/A | — |
| High Schools | 1 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 11.8:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 18.9% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 93.2% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Sleepy Eye sees average highs of 23.5°F in January and 82.2°F in July, with 31.8 inches of annual precipitation and 38.3 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Sleepy Eye, MN |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 23.5°F |
| Average High — July | 82.2°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 31.8" |
| Annual Snowfall | 38.3" |
Demographics
| Metric | Sleepy Eye, MN | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 3,452 | — |
| Median Age | 41.9 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 4.2% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 15.0 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 86.9% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 0.0% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 12.9% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 19.7% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 21.8% | 16.8% |
Nearby Cities
ZIP Codes in Sleepy Eye
Sleepy Eye, MN is covered by 1 ZIP code: