Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Fairmont is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C+ overall, 233rd among Minnesota's 271 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is cost of living: homes are within reach, about $172K for a typical one, or 2.9 years of the Fairmont area’s $60K median household income. Its lowest everyday mark is in incomes: the median household income is $53K, and 15% of residents live below the poverty line. 53% of working residents work locally in Fairmont, against 9.7% in Minnesota’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. On history, just 14 of Minnesota’s 574 towns do better. Fairmont is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 82% of U.S. towns.
Where Fairmont beats most towns.
Martin County CourthouseEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Fairmont is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 541 in 1880, 10,487 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 3 maps from 1967 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fairmont, 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 Fairmont.
Fairmont is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has homes that are cheap against local pay and has cooler summers than most of the country, though not than most of Minnesota.
At 2.9 years of the Fairmont area’s $60K median household income, the typical home (about $172K) costs less against local pay than in 90% of Minnesota towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living.
Fairmont’s median rent is $738 a month. The typical Fairmont home is worth about $172,000, up 0.6% in a year, 51% below the Minnesota typical home. 61% of households own their home in Fairmont.
| Fairmont | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $738 a month | $1,199 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Fairmont Area School District. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Fairmont JR./SR. High School, with 839 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairmont Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 1,007 | B |
| Fairmont JR./SR. High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 839 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 73% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons average 82.5°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 90% of Minnesota places with climate records; January nights average 6.8°.
Fairmont has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The January low in Fairmont is 7°F. About 47 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Fairmont | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 7°F | 6°F | 22°F |
| July high | 83°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 4,429 working residents takes 13.1 minutes, against 22.7 across Minnesota.
6.7% of Fairmont workers work from home. The top destinations are Marshall (4%), Blue Earth (3%) and Mankato (3%).
| Fairmont | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $91,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 6.7% | 14% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
2.3 miles of trail in 19 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Cardinal Park, at 44 acres.
| Fairmont | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.1% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Skate Park | 0.9 mi | 22 |
| 2. Cardinal Park | — | 44 |
| 3. Cedar Creek Park | — | 36 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 6,812 U.S. towns with household incomes like Fairmont’s, it is healthier than 81%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Fairmont beats the Minnesota average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12.
| Fairmont | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 23% | 25% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 10% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 36% |
| What stands out | Fairmont | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.2% | 76.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.6% | 5.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Fairmont; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Fairmont residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
6 places in Fairmont on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Fairmont.
City in the United States
Fairmont is a city in and the county seat of Martin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 10,487 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Fairmont.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairmont · Fairmont Township | #233 | C+ | B | C+ | B− | B− |
| Rolling Green Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rutland Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fraser Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Rolling Green Township, Rutland Township and Fraser Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Fairmont Township and Fairmont are one community, graded once. Compare Fairmont with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Fairmont grades C+ overall, better than 43% of U.S. towns and #233 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades B− for health, C+ for safety and B− for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
8 notable people were born here, including Dale Gardner and Bob Gunther.
