Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Blue Earth gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $181K, 2.7 years of the county’s $67K median household income. It grades B+ overall, 169th among Minnesota's 271 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 79% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 88% of U.S. towns. 50% of working residents work locally in Blue Earth, above both the Minnesota town median (9.7%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Only 48 of Minnesota’s 574 towns score higher on history. The biggest park or preserve is Faribault County Fairground, at 52 acres.
Where Blue Earth beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Blue Earth is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,066 in 1880, 3,174 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2012 and 3 maps from 1967 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Blue Earth, 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 Blue Earth.
Blue Earth has homes that are cheap against local pay and has cooler summers than most of the country, though not than most of Minnesota; it also carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Minnesota (mostly inland flooding).
At 2.7 years of the county’s $67K median household income, the typical home (about $181K) costs less against local pay than in 93% of Minnesota towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living. Home values rose 33% in five years, to about $181K, against 14% across Minnesota.
The median rent in Blue Earth is $918 a month. The typical Blue Earth home is worth about $181,000, up 3.2% in a year, 48% below the Minnesota typical home.
| Blue Earth | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $918 a month | $1,199 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Blue Earth Area School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Blue Earth Area Secondary, with 378 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Earth Area ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 515 | C |
| Blue Earth Area SecondaryLargest public high schoolGrades 8–12 | Grades 8–12 | 378 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 95% of Minnesota towns, with expected losses of about $1,052 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Since 2018, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Blue Earth.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
Blue Earth’s property crime rate is 3.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Blue Earth | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.2 per 1,000 residents | 8.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
July afternoons average 82.5°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 90% of Minnesota places with climate records; January nights average 6.7°.
Blue Earth has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. About 47 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Blue Earth | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 7°F | 6°F | 22°F |
| July high | 83°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 1,409 working residents takes 13 minutes, against 22.7 across Minnesota.
Only 8 of the 273 Minnesota towns we compare have a lower average trip to work than Blue Earth. Jobs based in Blue Earth fell to 1,952 in 2023, 162 fewer than in 2013. 11% of Blue Earth residents live below the poverty line.
| Blue Earth | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $91,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Steinberg Nature Park | 0.5 mi | 14 |
| 2. Faribault County Fairground | — | 52 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
38% of adults have high blood pressure in Blue Earth. Blue Earth beats the Minnesota average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 37% of adults have obesity in Blue Earth.
| Blue Earth | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 23% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 31% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 10% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Blue Earth | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81% | 76.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.7% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Blue Earth; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Blue Earth residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
4 places in Blue Earth on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Blue Earth.
City in Minnesota, United States
Blue Earth is a city in Faribault County, Minnesota, United States, at the confluence of the east and west branches of the Blue Earth River. The population was 3,174 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Faribault County. It is home to a statue of the Jolly Green Giant. Additionally, Interstate 90 is centered on Blue Earth, as the east and west construction teams met here in 1978. As a tribute, there is a golden stripe of concrete on the interstate near Blue Earth. This draws an analogy to the golden spike set in the first transcontinental railroad. Approximately three miles south of Blue Earth is the Blue Earth Municipal Airport.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Blue Earth.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Earth | #169 | B+ | A− | B+ | C+ | C+ |
| Blue Earth City Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jo Daviess Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Blue Earth City Township and Jo Daviess Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Blue Earth with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Blue Earth grades B+ overall, better than 68% of U.S. towns and #169 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades C+ for health, B+ for safety and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
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−.
7 notable people were born here, including Jim Hagedorn and Arlen Erdahl.
