Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,712, laid out in 1874.
Ada’s best subject grades are an A for safety, cost of living, and walkability; its weakest is a D for incomes. 38% of working residents work locally in Ada, above both the Minnesota town median (9.8%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Only 25 of Minnesota’s 574 towns score lower on incomes. Ada has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Norman County Courthouse and Congregational Church of Ada. Ada's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 86% of U.S. towns. Ada has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Ada beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Ada is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 138 in 1880, 1,740 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 3 maps from 1924 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ada, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Ada.
Ada’s property crime rate is 0 per 1,000 residents, against 8.7 in Minnesota’s towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns.
| Ada | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 8.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Ada-Borup-West Public Schools. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Ada-Borup-West Secondary, with 335 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ada-Borup-West ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 370 | – |
| Ada-Borup-West SecondaryLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 335 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests
The typical Ada home is worth about $182,000, up 7.9% in a year, 48% below the Minnesota typical home. The median rent in Ada is $746 a month.
| Ada | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $746 a month | $1,196 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 66% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 69% of U.S. communities. Since 1997, 24 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ada.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Ada has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Ada’s July high is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Ada’s working residents works in town. 17% of residents live below the poverty line in Ada. The top destinations are Fargo (10%), Moorhead (4%) and Borup (4%).
| Ada | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Minnesota average. Ada has lost 2.4% of its people since 2020, down to 1,712 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 31% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 39% across Minnesota.
| Ada | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 24% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 31% | 33% | 29% |
53% women, 47% men
About 87 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.5 points). Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Ada | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.9% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.4% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11.1% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.1% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.6% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.8% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.6% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.7% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.8% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.7% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.5% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.3% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 17.6% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.3% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.6% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,700, single groups can be off by several points
Ada beats the Minnesota average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 28% of Ada adults feel lonely.
| Ada | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 31% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 30% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 23% | 25% |
| What stands out | Ada | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 7.4% | 5.4% |
| More adults with heart disease | 7.7% | 5.9% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4% | 3.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dekko Park | — | 8 |
| 2. Bosworth Park | 0.1 mi | 7 |
| 3. East Side Park | 0.2 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Ada; the nearest are
About 7 of every 100 Ada residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Minnesota.
3 places in Ada on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Ada.
City in Minnesota, United States
Ada ( AY-də) is a city in Norman County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,740 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
Ada was laid out in 1874 and has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 3 notable people were born here, including Paul Kersey and Keith Hanson.
