Cottage Grove, MN vs Sanford, ME

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

Sanford

68

#1363 nationally

Cottage Grove leads in crime level (1.1 vs 4.3). Cottage Grove leads in median household income ($117,673 vs $71,848). Sanford leads in cost of living index (103 vs 114).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric Cottage Grove, MN Sanford, ME
WhereAtHome Score 77.4 (#246) 68 (#1363)
Population 42,056 22,251
Typical Home Value (ZHVI) $402,376 $378,830
Median Household Income $117,673 $71,848
Average Commute 25.3 min 27.5 min
Walk Score 16 N/A
Crime Level 1.1 4.3
School Rating N/A N/A
Cost of Living Index 114 103
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored D+8.9 D+10.5

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