How hard is the water in Minneapolis, MN?

Tap water hardness
89mg/L
5.2gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Minneapolis · October 2025

MN typical
160 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

The water in Minneapolis carries roughly 89 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 5.2 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Minneapolis, dated October 2025.

Minneapolis on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MN typical 160Roseville: 78 mg/LRoseville 78Brooklyn Center: 79 mg/LBrooklyn Center 79St. Paul: 82 mg/LSt. Paul 82Golden Valley: 90 mg/LGolden Valley 90St. Louis Park: 112 mg/LSt. Louis Park 112Edina: 146 mg/LEdina 146Hopkins: 163 mg/LHopkins 163Robbinsdale: 201 mg/LRobbinsdale 201New Brighton: 230 mg/LNew Brighton 230St. Anthony: 254 mg/LSt. Anthony 254Minneapolis 89mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MN 160Roseville: 78 mg/LRoseville 78Golden Valley: 90 mg/LGolden Val. 90St. Louis Park: 112 mg/LSt. Louis. 112Edina: 146 mg/LEdina 146Robbinsdale: 201 mg/LRobbinsdale 201St. Anthony: 254 mg/LSt. Anthony 25489 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

At 89 mg/L, Minneapolis is 71 mg/L below the typical Minnesota figure of 160. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 3 have softer water and 7 have harder. The range nearby runs from 78 mg/L in Roseville to 254 in St. Anthony.

What 89 mg/L means at home

You may see faint white spots on glasses and shower doors after the water dries.

Scale builds up slowly. A kettle or coffee maker needs descaling now and then, maybe every few months.

Hardness is not a health problem, and EPA sets no limit for it. It is a matter of scale and soap.

What to do about it

Optional. Plenty of households at this level live with it and descale the kettle now and then.

Water softener

Worth a look if spots on glass bother you, or if your tankless water heater manual asks for softer water.

Carbon filter

Improves taste and removes chlorine. It leaves calcium and magnesium in place.

Softener size for Minneapolis

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.2 gpg = 1,168 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 20 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Minneapolis's water system

Minneapolis · PWSID MN1270024

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 425,300 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
1
Open now
0

Health-based means a contaminant above its legal limit or a missed treatment step. Monitoring and reporting violations are late or missing tests and notices. Source: EPA ECHO, 2026Q3 export, violations with periods starting 2016 or later. Full EPA record.

Questions

Is Minneapolis water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 89 mg/L (5.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

What is the water hardness in Minneapolis in grains per gallon?

About 5.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 89 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.2.

What size water softener do I need in Minneapolis?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.2 gpg works out to about 1,168 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 20 days.

Has the Minneapolis water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Minneapolis since 2016. There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 57 cities in Minnesota

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, October 1, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.