EmpireMN
A town of 3,063.
Is Empire a good place to live?
Empire’s best subject grades are an A+ for incomes and an A for the outdoors. Empire’s median household income is $148,000, against $90,000 in Minnesota’s towns and $80,000 across U.S. towns. On incomes, just 14 of Minnesota’s 574 towns do better. Empire's schools rank ahead of 75% of Minnesota towns. 20% of the land in Empire is conserved, where Minnesota’s towns sit at 4.6% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Only 24 of Minnesota’s 574 towns score lower on history. The biggest park or preserve is Vermillion River Wildlife Management Area, at 1,486 acres. Empire has no overall grade: it has no figures for safety and health, and an overall grade needs at least three of the four big subjects (cost of living, safety, schools and health).
30 miles of trails in Empire
20% of the town is conserved land, across 10 parks and preserves.
How Empire grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Empire is from typical.
Empire has no overall grade: it has no figures for safety and health, and an overall grade needs at least three of the four big subjects (cost of living, safety, schools and health).
How TownRatings grades towns →
U.S. Bank Stadium and 69 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Empire. Close and well known come first.
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaU.S. Bank Stadium
22 mi Stadium & arenaHuntington Bank Stadium
18 mi Stadium & arenaGrand Casino Arena
23 mi Stadium & arenaTarget Field
14 mi Theme parkNickelodeon Universe
19 mi Theme parkValleyfairPhoto credits
U.S. Bank Stadium: Darb02, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Huntington Bank Stadium: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Grand Casino Arena: AlexiusHoratius, CC BY-SA 3.0 · 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
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Moving to Empire: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Empire, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Empire.
Compared with most of Minnesota and the rest of the country, fewer of Empire’s working residents work locally
0.7% of working residents work locally in Empire. Since 2013, Empire has added 145 jobs, to 310 in 2023. The average trip to work in Empire is 30 minutes.
| Empire | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 1.9% | 7.1% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.7% | 9.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Empire’s grade for the outdoors is an A
Empire’s trail density is 1.0 miles per square mile. 30 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Vermillion Highlands Research Recreation and Wildlife Management Area | 15 mi | 2,822 |
| 2. Whitetail Woods Regional Park | 9.3 mi | 453 |
| 3. Dakota Woods Dog Park | 1.1 mi | 16 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
In Empire, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
Empire has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 7° and about 41 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
More children than Minnesota overall
Children under 18 are 29% of residents (23% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (22% statewide). 14% of Empire residents are 65 or older. Empire has lost 2.3% of its people since 2020, down to 3,063 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Empire | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 29% | 23% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 18% | 18% |
| Median age | 37.3 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 33% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.9 points. Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 37.2, men 37.3.
| Empire | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 18.9% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.6% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.6% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 17.1% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.9% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.6% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.5% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.8% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.6% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.8% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.3% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15.9% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.5% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.9% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,100, single groups can be off by several points
Empire faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 55% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Empire since 1992.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The median home in Empire sells for about $446K
Among 256 Minnesota towns, just 10 have a higher median rent than Empire.
| Empire | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,052 a month | $1,192 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 94% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Empire
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Empire
About 3 of every 100 Empire residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
99% of working residents leave Empire for work
Where Empire’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Empire
City in Minnesota, United States
Empire is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota. The population was 3,177 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 34 sq mi
- Elevation
- 869 ft
Empire’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Empire.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empire | — | — | B+ | — | A− | — |
| Farmington | #37 | A+ | B | A | B | A |
| Rosemount | #13 | A+ | C+ | A | A− | A |
| Vermillion Township | — | — | B+ | — | B+ | A− |
| Castle Rock Township | — | — | B− | — | B | A− |
| Coates | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lakeville | #30 | A+ | C | A− | A | A |
Vermillion Township and Castle Rock Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Empire, Vermillion Township and Castle Rock Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Empire and Coates aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Empire with a neighbor →
Questions about Empire
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Empire, MN a good place to live?
Empire has no overall grade: it has no figures for safety and health, and an overall grade needs at least three of the four big subjects (cost of living, safety, schools and health).
Is Empire, MN expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $470,000, 35% above the Minnesota typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.