Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Burnsville is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C+ overall, 234th of 271 graded towns in Minnesota, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: it is healthier than 72% of U.S. towns. Expect to pay for it: homes are expensive, about $365K for a typical one and 3.7 times the Minneapolis metro’s $100K median household income. On hazard risk, just 29 of Minnesota’s 575 towns do better. 11% of the land in Burnsville is conserved, against 4.6% in Minnesota’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. On the outdoors, just 31 of Minnesota’s 575 towns do better.
Where Burnsville beats most towns.
11.4% of the town is conserved land, across 53 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Burnsville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 214 in 1860, 64,317 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1874 and 7 maps from 1896 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Burnsville. Close and well known come first.
Big draw15 mi Stadium & arenaU.S. Bank Stadium
15 mi Stadium & arenaHuntington Bank Stadium
15 mi Stadium & arenaTarget Field
7 mi Theme parkNickelodeon Universe
9 mi Theme parkValleyfair
15 mi Stadium & arenaGrand Casino ArenaU.S. Bank Stadium: Darb02, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Huntington Bank Stadium: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Target Field: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Nickelodeon Universe: Tyler Vigen, CC BY 4.0 · Valleyfair: https://www.flickr.com/photos/clumpinglitter/, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Grand Casino Arena: AlexiusHoratius, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Burnsville, 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 Burnsville.
Burnsville trades workers with Minneapolis and other neighbors, is safe by national standards but not by Minnesota’s and gets more snow than most of the country, though not than most of Minnesota.
21 miles of trail in 53 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, 1,347 acres with 1.5 miles of trail. Burnsville’s trail density is 0.8 miles per square mile, where Minnesota’s towns sit at 0.5 and U.S. towns at 0.4.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Terrace Oaks Park | 3.7 mi | 250 |
| 2. Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve | 2.2 mi | 155 |
| 3. Alimagnet Park | 1.8 mi | 143 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Each of its 5 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its C, Lakeville highest at A.
Its public schools are run by the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage Schools. Three of its 24 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Echo Park Leadership Engineer/TechLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 732 | C |
| Burnsville High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,029 | C+ |
| Seven Hills - Burnsville ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 480 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 81% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 16 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Burnsville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Within Minnesota it is less healthy than 56% of the 271 graded towns: Minnesota sets a high bar. All 5 graded neighbors score healthier than its B+, from Apple Valley (A−) to Lakeville (A).
30% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Burnsville. Burnsville beats the Minnesota average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 75% of adults had a checkup this year in Burnsville.
| Burnsville | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 75% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | Burnsville | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.7% | 8.5% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.9% | 5.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 26.4 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 80% of Minnesota’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 1,444 to 1,070 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Burnsville is 14.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Burnsville | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.8 per 1,000 residents | 8.6 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Farmington 3 Nw weather station, 8 miles away, records that 41 inches of snow fall in a normal winter: more than most of the country, but less than 80% of Minnesota places with climate records. July afternoons average 82.1°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 77% of Minnesota places with climate records; January nights average 7.2°.
Burnsville has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Burnsville’s January low is 7°F.
| Burnsville | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 7°F | 6°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Burnsville has about as many jobs (31,485) as working residents, but only 3,655 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Burnsville for work: only 13% work in town. 17% of Burnsville workers work from home. The top destinations are Minneapolis (12%), Bloomington (9%) and St.
| Burnsville | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 17% | 14% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 9.7% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Minnesota average. 40% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 39% across Minnesota.
| Burnsville | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 40% | 33% | 29% |
| Median age | 36.7 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 18% | 18% |
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.4 points). Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 36.5, men 36.9.
| Burnsville | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.3% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.1% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.6% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.8% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.9% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.7% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.7% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.6% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.3% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.7% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 20.1% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 21% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.4% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.7% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.1% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Burnsville home is worth about $365,000, up 2.1% in a year, close to the Minnesota typical home.
| Burnsville | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,513 a month | $1,192 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 65% | 75% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
21 within 15 miles of the center of Burnsville
About 5 of every 100 Burnsville residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Minnesota.
14 notable people were born in Burnsville.
City in Minnesota, United States
Burnsville ( BURNZ-vil) is a city 15 miles (24 km) south of downtown Minneapolis in Dakota County, Minnesota. The city is situated on a bluff overlooking the south bank of the Minnesota River, upstream from its confluence with the Mississippi River. Burnsville and nearby suburbs form the southern portion of Minneapolis–Saint Paul, the 16th-largest metropolitan area in the United States, with about 3.7 million residents. At the 2020 census the population was 64,317. The name Burnsville is attributed to an early Irish settler and land owner, William Byrne. His surname was recorded as "Burns" and was never corrected. Burnsville stands on land that once contained a village of Mdewakanton Dakota…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Burnsville.
All 5 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C+; Bloomington (B−) is closest.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burnsville | #234 | C+ | C | C | C | B+ |
| Bloomington | #225 | B− | C | D | C+ | A |
| Apple Valley | #143 | A− | C | C+ | A− | A− |
| Savage | #133 | A− | C− | B+ | B | A |
| Lakeville | #30 | A+ | C | A− | A | A |
| Eagan | #108 | A− | C | C+ | B+ | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Burnsville grades C+ overall, better than 42% of U.S. towns and #234 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades B+ for health, C for safety and C for schools.
Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
14 notable people were born here, including Cole Aldrich and Tyus Jones.
.jpg){kind=link}
