Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,316, settled in 1854. Public schools that outperform most of Minnesota.
Trash day: MondayExcelsior’s best subject grades are an A+ for schools and health and an A for incomes; its weakest is a C for cost of living. 58% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Excelsior, above both the Minnesota town median (33%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). On health, just 18 of Minnesota’s 572 towns do better. On history, just 56 of Minnesota’s 574 towns do better. Excelsior has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Excelsior beats most towns.
Where Excelsior’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Excelsior is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1906.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Excelsior. Close and well known come first.
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaU.S. Bank Stadium
2 mi LakeLake Minnetonka
15 mi Stadium & arenaTarget Field
9 mi Theme parkValleyfair
18 mi Stadium & arenaHuntington Bank Stadium
23 mi Stadium & arenaGrand Casino ArenaU.S. Bank Stadium: Darb02, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Minnetonka: Dan, CC BY 2.0 · Target Field: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Valleyfair: https://www.flickr.com/photos/clumpinglitter/, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Huntington Bank Stadium: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Grand Casino Arena: AlexiusHoratius, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Excelsior, 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 Excelsior.
48% of households own their home in Excelsior, where Minnesota’s towns sit at 75% and U.S. towns at 73%. The typical Excelsior home is worth about $807,000, about the same as a year ago, more than twice the Minnesota typical home.
| Excelsior | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 48% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,143 a month | $1,196 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Minnetonka Public School District. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excelsior ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 707 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Excelsior beats the Minnesota average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 25% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Excelsior.
| Excelsior | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 30% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 35% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.4% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Excelsior | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.7% | 11.4% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4% | 5.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.5% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Excelsior for work: only 6% work in town. The average trip to work in Excelsior is 28 minutes. Jobs based in Excelsior fell to 1,685 in 2023, 232 fewer than in 2013.
| Excelsior | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $103,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.9% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 77% of U.S. communities. Since 1987, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Excelsior.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Excelsior has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 6° and about 55 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Excelsior | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.3% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Excelsior Commons | 0.2 mi | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
10 within 15 miles of the center of Excelsior
About 3 of every 100 Excelsior residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
4 places in Excelsior on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in Excelsior.
Lakeside city in Minnesota, United States
Excelsior ( ek-SEL-see-ər) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. A western suburb of the Twin Cities, Excelsior is about 16 miles (26 km) southwest of downtown Minneapolis. Its population was 2,355 at the 2020 census. Excelsior's commercial district along Water Street is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the town has many historic Victorian-era houses. Located on Lake Minnetonka's southern shore, the city serves as a local destination for shoppers, boaters, and restaurant-goers.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Excelsior.
Excelsior has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Excelsior and Shorewood report no FBI crime data of their own. Greenwood isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Excelsior with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Public schools that outperform most of Minnesota.
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.
11 notable people were born here, including Ryan McCartan and Stuart R. Schram.
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