St. Paul, MN elevation
Downtown St. Paul sits at 789 ft (241 m) above sea level. Across the city limits the ground varies by about 324 ft.
USGS elevation downtown
789ft
241 m above sea level
Ground elevation at 44.94441, -93.09327 (GNIS populated-place coordinates (city center)).
Source: USGS 3D Elevation Program, via the Elevation Point Query Service
- Range inside city limits (sampled)
- 693 to 1,017 ft
- 211 to 310 m · 159 USGS points
- Source: USGS 3DEP + 2024 Census boundary
- Average of sampled points
- 850 ft (259 m)
- Source: USGS 3DEP
Data updated · By Ankit Kumar, compiled from public U.S. government and open datasets · How these numbers are made
Check your exact spot in St. Paul
Elevation changes from street to street. Use your location, search an address or click the map to get the USGS value for one point. Green pins mark the points named on this page.
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Elevation range inside the city limits
St. Paul covers 52.0 sq mi of land. Across it, USGS elevations at 159 sampled points run from 693 ft (211 m) to 1,017 ft (310 m), a spread of 324 ft. The average of those points is 850 ft, higher than downtown.
Method: Sampled: USGS 3DEP elevation at 159 points (the city center plus a regular grid about 932 m apart) inside the 2024 Census boundary. The true highest and lowest points can lie between grid points.
Life at 789 ft
Standard-atmosphere estimates for downtown St. Paul (789 ft). Weather moves the real values a little from day to day.
- Oxygen per breath
- 97 % of sea level
- Air is still 20.9% oxygen; there is just less air.
Sources: pressure from the U.S. Standard Atmosphere, 1976 (NOAA, NASA, USAF); boiling point from the Antoine equation for water (Lange's Handbook of Chemistry); canning thresholds from the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning. Not medical or food-safety advice; follow the tested USDA recipe for your altitude.
St. Paul compared with nearby and similar-size cities
- Lincoln, NE1,202 ft
- Woodbury, MN1,065 ft
- Plymouth, MN977 ft
- Madison, WI875 ft
- Brooklyn Park, MN868 ft
- Minneapolis, MN830 ft
- Bloomington, MN825 ft
- St. Paul (downtown)789 ft
- Pittsburgh, PA765 ft
- Anchorage, AK104 ft
Landmark elevations
| What | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown St. Paul | 789 ft (241 m) | USGS 3DEP at GNIS populated-place coordinates |
| Highest sampled point | 1,017 ft (310 m) · 4.8 mi from downtown | USGS 3DEP grid sample |
| Lowest sampled point | 693 ft (211 m) · 4.1 mi from downtown | USGS 3DEP grid sample |
| Nearest public airport: St Paul Downtown Holman Fld (KSTP) | 705 ft (215 m) · 1.7 mi away | FAA field elevation |
St. Paul at a glance
| What | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 307,465 (July 1, 2024) | U.S. Census Bureau estimate |
| Land area | 52.0 sq mi (134.6 km²) | Census 2024 Gazetteer |
| County | Ramsey | USGS GNIS |
| USGS 7.5-minute topo map | Saint Paul East | USGS GNIS |
| Downtown coordinates | 44.94441, -93.09327 | USGS GNIS |
More places and tools
Nearest city pages
- Madison, WI — 875 ft, 224 mi (361 km) away
- Des Moines, IA — 873 ft, 232 mi (374 km) away
- Lincoln, NE — 1,202 ft, 339 mi (545 km) away
- Pierre, SD — 1,479 ft, 359 mi (577 km) away
- Bismarck, ND — 1,695 ft, 392 mi (630 km) away
- All Minnesota elevations
Tools pre-filled for 789 ft
Frequently asked questions
What is the elevation of St. Paul, MN?
Downtown St. Paul is 789 ft (241 m) above sea level, from the USGS 3D Elevation Program at the city-center coordinates. Inside the city limits, USGS values at 159 sampled points run from 693 to 1,017 ft.
What is the highest point in St. Paul?
The highest of our 159 USGS sample points inside the 2024 Census city boundary is 1,017 ft (310 m), about 4.8 mi from downtown (44.9837, -93.0126). The true high point can be slightly higher because it may fall between grid points.
What is the lowest point in St. Paul?
The lowest sampled point is 693 ft (211 m), about 4.1 mi from downtown. That is 324 ft below the highest sampled point.
At what temperature does water boil in St. Paul?
At 789 ft, water boils at about 210.6 °F (99.2 °C) and standard air pressure is 29.08 inHg (985 hPa), so each breath holds about 97% of the oxygen it would at sea level. Cooking times for pasta, eggs and beans run a little longer than at sea level.
What is the elevation of the airport near St. Paul?
St Paul Downtown Holman Fld (KSTP), 1.7 mi from downtown, has an FAA field elevation of 705 ft (215 m).
Do I need to adjust canning times in St. Paul?
Downtown St. Paul is at 789 ft, so the USDA 0–1,000 ft column applies there. Parts of the city reach 1,017 ft, where the 1,001 ft and higher columns apply.
Sources
- USGS Elevation Point Query Service (3DEP) — downtown elevation and every sampled point
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Cartographic Boundary Files (places, states; 1:500,000) — city boundary used for sampling
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files (places) — land area and Census place match
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 Population Estimates (cities and towns, July 1, 2024) — population
- USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), Domestic Names — city-center coordinates, county and topo map name
- FAA Aeronautical Information Services, Airports (field elevation) — airport field elevation
- U.S. Standard Atmosphere, 1976 (NOAA/NASA/USAF); water boiling point by the Antoine equation (Lange’s Handbook of Chemistry) — boiling point, air pressure and oxygen
- USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning — canning altitude thresholds
How each number is produced: methodology and data sources.
Data updated · By Ankit Kumar, compiled from public U.S. government and open datasets · How these numbers are made