Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Yes, by almost any measure. Caledonia earns an A+, 4th among Minnesota's 271 graded towns. Crime is low: it reports less per resident than 100% of U.S. towns, its public schools beat 89% of Minnesota towns on state tests and graduation, and homes are within reach, about $290K for a typical one, or 4 years of the La Crosse metro’s $73K median household income. Its lowest mark, a B, is in incomes. 35% of working residents work locally in Caledonia, against 9.7% in Minnesota’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. On history, just 26 of Minnesota’s 574 towns do better. Caledonia's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 85% of U.S. towns.
Where Caledonia beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Caledonia Elementary | PK–5 | 295 |
| St. Marys Catholic School | PK–8 | 140 |
| St. John's Evangelical Lutheran School | PK–8 | 85 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Caledonia is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 470 in 1870, 2,847 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1910 and 2 maps from 1984 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Caledonia, 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 Caledonia.
Caledonia pairs an A+ overall with homes cheaper than the Minnesota norm, pairs an A for schools with modest home prices and sends many workers across the state line to La Crosse.
Violent crime is rare: 0 reported in 2025, 0 per 1,000 residents.
Caledonia reports less crime per resident than 100% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade. The property crime rate in Caledonia is 0 per 1,000 residents. Only 10 of the 167 Minnesota towns we compare have a lower violent crime rate than Caledonia.
| Caledonia | 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 A for schools comes with an A− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $290K.
Its public schools are run by the Caledonia Public School District. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caledonia ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 295 | A |
| Caledonia Senior HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 259 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Caledonia since 2007.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 8.3°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 99% of Minnesota places with climate records; July afternoons average 81°.
Caledonia has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Caledonia’s January low is 8°F. About 45 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Caledonia | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 8°F | 6°F | 22°F |
| July high | 81°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Within Minnesota it is less healthy than 68% of the 271 graded towns: Minnesota sets a high bar.
Caledonia beats the Minnesota average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 29% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Caledonia.
| Caledonia | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 23% | 25% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 75% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Caledonia | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who get no exercise | 27.4% | 22.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 6.6% | 5.4% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 3.7% | 3.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Caledonia grades A+ overall with a typical home of about $290K, below the Minnesota typical value; only 39 of the 123 Minnesota towns graded A− or better can say that. Home values rose 38% in five years, to about $290K, against 14% across Minnesota.
The typical Caledonia home is worth about $290,000, up 4.4% in a year, 17% below the Minnesota typical home.
| Caledonia | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $839 a month | $1,199 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 75% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
36% of working residents cross a state line to work, La Crosse among the top destinations.
About one in 3 of Caledonia’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Caledonia has lost 268 jobs, to 1,641 in 2023. The top destinations are La Crosse (18%), La Crescent (7%) and Spring Grove (4%).
| Caledonia | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $76,000 | $91,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 8.9% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Veterans Park | — | 6 |
| 2. North Park | — | 2 |
| 3. Marshall Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Caledonia; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Caledonia residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
4 places in Caledonia on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Caledonia.
City in Minnesota, United States
Caledonia is a city and the county seat of Houston County, Minnesota, United States and is part of the La Crosse, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,847 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Caledonia.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caledonia · Caledonia Township | #4 | A+ | A− | A+ | A | B |
| Mayville Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Mayville Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Caledonia Township and Caledonia are one community, graded once. Compare Caledonia with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Caledonia grades A+ overall, among the top 2% of U.S. towns and #4 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades B for health, A+ for safety and A for schools.
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−.
5 notable people were born here, including Ken Nelson and Dave Kunst.
