Living in Empire, MN: what to set up and who to call
Tap water in most of Empire comes from the Empire water system, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 22% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result below detection. The closest ER is M Health Fairview Ridges Hospital, 10.2 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Empire, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Empire.
Power comes from Xcel Energy
Xcel Energy (Northern States Power Co. (Minnesota)), an investor-owned utility, serves 86.5% of Empire residents. Its homes paid an average of 17.1¢ per kWh in 2025, about $105 a month (its average across Minnesota).
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Empire water system
The Empire water system supplies Empire: about 80% of residents live in its service area. About 19% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water and serves 3,152 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2021–Dec 2023, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. MN1190009.
10 home internet providers serve Empire
100% of 1,067 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 76% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable | 79% | 1,000/35 |
| HBC | Fiber, Fixed wireless | 72% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Frontier | DSL, Fiber | 48% | 7,000/7,000 |
| Midco | Fixed wireless | 100% | 100/20 |
| GigFire | Fixed wireless | 97% | 150/130 |
| JTN Communications | Fixed wireless | 94% | 1,000/1,000 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Empire’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Empire.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of Empire (53%) is in Farmington Public School District; parts are in Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan (47%).
A−School gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Aug 2015; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Empire spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Empire residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Empire | ZIP’s residents in Empire |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55024 | Farmington, MN | 97% | 8% |
| 55068 | Rosemount, MN | 2% | 0% |
A few homes fall in 55031.
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Empire
Who supplies Empire’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Empire water system (EPA ID MN1190009). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Empire?
Xcel Energy (Northern States Power Co. (Minnesota)), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 17.1¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Empire?
Spectrum, HBC, Frontier, Midco, GigFire, JTN Communications (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Empire?
55024 (97%), 55068 (2%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Empire in?
Farmington Public School District. Parts of the city are in Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan.
How do I register to vote in Empire?
In Minnesota you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 21 days before). Elections here are run by the Dakota County Elections. Check your registration at mnvotes.sos.state.mn.us.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.