Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 7,788, platted in 1868. Public schools that outperform most of Minnesota.
Trash & recyclingDelano is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 16th among Minnesota's 271 graded towns. Its public schools beat 98% of Minnesota towns on state tests and graduation, the median household earns $110K, and it is healthier than 88% of U.S. towns. Its lowest mark, a B, is in cost of living. 30% of residents are under 18 in Delano, where Minnesota’s towns sit at 23% and U.S. towns at 22%. Delano has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Delano Village Hall and Eagle Newspaper Office.
Where Delano beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Delano Elementary | PK–3 | 744 |
| St. Maximilian Kolbe | PK–8 | 96 |
| Mt. Olive Lutheran School | PK–8 | 66 |
Delano Village Hall5,464 counted in 2010 and 6,484 in 2020; an estimated 7,788 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 19.7% since 2020, after 18.7% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Delano is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 407 in 1880, 6,484 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1888 and 2 maps from 1958 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Delano, 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 Delano.
Delano has schools in the top 5% of Minnesota and trades workers with Minneapolis and other neighbors, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Minnesota (mostly inland flooding).
Its A+ ranks #1 of the 274 Minnesota towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Delano Public School District. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Delano High School, with 1,158 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delano ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 744 | A+ |
| Delano High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 1,158 | A |
| Delano Intermediate SchoolTop results in townGrades 4–6 | Grades 4–6 | 555 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
20% of Delano adults binge drink. Delano beats the Minnesota average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 10% of Delano adults report frequent physical distress.
| Delano | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 23% | 25% |
| What stands out | Delano | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.3% | 11.4% |
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 5.4% | 7.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Delano home is worth about $441,000, about the same as a year ago, 26% above the Minnesota typical home. Delano’s median rent is $964 a month.
| Delano | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $964 a month | $1,199 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 90% of Minnesota towns; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Delano is 71 of 100. Since 1984, 14 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Delano.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Delano has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 5° and about 45 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1.5 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
| Delano | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.3% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Glenn and Arlene Litfin Nature Area | 0.6 mi | 32 |
| 2. Barb King Inspiration Park | — | 6 |
| 3. Central Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Children under 18 are 31% of residents (23% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (22% statewide). 48% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Delano. Delano has grown 20% since 2020, to 7,788 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Delano | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 48% | 33% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| Median age | 37.4 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.8 points. Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Delano | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 17.2% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.3% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.7% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.8% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.5% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.2% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.9% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.7% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.9% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.9% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 20.3% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.7% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.1% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 41.2% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.8% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Delano has about as many jobs (3,493) as working residents, but only 560 people both live and work here. Jobs based here grew from 2,481 in 2013 to 3,493.
Jobs based in Delano grew to 3,493 in 2023, 1,012 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Minneapolis (9%), Plymouth (6%) and Minnetonka (4%). Half commute less than 19 miles.
| Delano | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $110,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4% | 7.1% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 9.7% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Delano. Close and well known come first.
Big draw27 mi Stadium & arenaU.S. Bank Stadium
26 mi Stadium & arenaTarget Field
28 mi Stadium & arenaHuntington Bank Stadium
13 mi LakeLake Minnetonka
24 mi Theme parkValleyfair
34 mi Stadium & arenaGrand Casino ArenaU.S. Bank Stadium: Darb02, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Target Field: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Huntington Bank Stadium: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Minnetonka: Dan, CC BY 2.0 · Valleyfair: https://www.flickr.com/photos/clumpinglitter/, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Grand Casino Arena: AlexiusHoratius, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Delano
About 3 of every 100 Delano residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
3 places in Delano on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Minnesota, United States
Delano ( DEH-lə-noh) is a city in Wright County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 6,484 at the 2020 census. It is on the outskirts of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Delano.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delano | #16 | A+ | B | — | A+ | A |
| Franklin Township | #130 | A− | D | — | A+ | A |
Delano and Franklin Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Delano with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Delano grades A+ overall, better than 98% of U.S. towns and #16 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades A for health and A+ for schools.
That is 4.4 years of the area's median household income ($99,833 across the Minneapolis-St. 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 B.
Delano was platted in 1868 and has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 2 notable people were born here, including Ben Meyers and Dennis Showalter.
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