Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Faribault's standout: it has 22 miles of trail. Overall it grades C−, 268th among Minnesota's 271 graded towns. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 76% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is schools: its public schools trail 77% of Minnesota towns on state tests and graduation. 39% of working residents work locally in Faribault, above both Minnesota’s towns (9.7%) and U.S. towns (8%). On health, just 11 of Minnesota’s 572 towns do worse. Its National Register listings include Alexander Faribault House and Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour.
Where Faribault beats most towns.
Its 43 National Register listings are more than in 98% of Minnesota towns with a listing.
Census counts: 3,045 in 1870, 24,453 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1893 and 3 maps from 1960 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Faribault is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Faribault, 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 Faribault.
Faribault has seen reported crime fall by a fifth or more and has colder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of Minnesota; it also carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Minnesota (mostly inland flooding).
The trail density in Faribault is 1.4 miles per square mile. River Bend Nature Center, at 736 acres with 12.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. River Bend Nature Center | 12.3 mi | 736 |
| 2. White Sands Park | 0.3 mi | 7 |
| 3. North Alexander Park | — | 97 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Faribault Public School District. Two of its 26 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faribault MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 594 | C− |
| Faribault Senior HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 956 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
33% of Faribault adults get no exercise outside work. Only 5 of the 271 Minnesota towns we compare have a higher share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Faribault. 35% of Faribault adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Faribault | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 23% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 35% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Faribault | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.6% | 8.9% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 20.1% | 11.4% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 9.6% | 5.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 88% of Minnesota towns, with expected losses of about $492 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Faribault’s FEMA risk score is 69 of 100. Since 2010, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Faribault.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 6°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 77% of Minnesota places with climate records; July afternoons average 81.9°.
Faribault has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. About 43 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Faribault | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 6°F | 6°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Faribault’s working residents works in town. 16% of residents live below the poverty line in Faribault. Since 2013, Faribault has added 823 jobs, to 10,866 in 2023.
| Faribault | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 5.9% | 14% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $91,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Faribault home is worth about $303,000, up 2% in a year, 13% below the Minnesota typical home.
| Faribault | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 66% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,074 a month | $1,199 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Reported crimes fell from 409 to 303 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Faribault. Close and well known come first.
36 mi Theme parkValleyfair
38 mi Theme parkNickelodeon Universe
33 mi Zoo & aquariumMinnesota Zoo
40 mi LandmarkFort Snelling National Cemetery
15 mi MuseumMinnesota State Public School for Dependent and Neglected Children
39 mi Theme parkWater Park of AmericaValleyfair: https://www.flickr.com/photos/clumpinglitter/, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Nickelodeon Universe: Tyler Vigen, CC BY 4.0 · Minnesota Zoo: Makeenosman, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Snelling National Cemetery: Kozarrj, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Minnesota State Public School for Dependent and Neglected Children: McGhiever, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Water Park of America: Todd Murray, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Faribault
About 4 of every 100 Faribault residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
11.6% of the town is conserved land, across 32 parks and preserves.
43 places in Faribault on the National Register of Historic Places.
22 notable people were born in Faribault.
City in Minnesota, United States
Faribault ( FAIR-boh) is a city in and the county seat of Rice County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 24,453 at the 2020 census. Faribault is about 50 miles (80 km) south of Minneapolis–Saint Paul. Interstate 35 and Minnesota State Highways 3, 21, and 60 are the principal highways serving the city. Faribault is at the confluence of the Cannon and Straight Rivers. It is home to the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf and the Minnesota State Academy for the Blind.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Faribault.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faribault | #268 | C− | B− | C+ | C− | C− |
| Wells Township | — | — | B | — | C− | C |
| Walcott Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cannon City Township | — | — | C | — | C− | C+ |
| Warsaw Township | — | — | B | — | C− | C+ |
Wells Township, Cannon City Township and Warsaw Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Wells Township, Cannon City Township and Warsaw Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Walcott Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Faribault with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Faribault grades C− overall, better than 17% of U.S. towns and #268 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades C− for health, C+ for safety and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 3.6 years of the area's median household income ($83,181 across the Faribault-Northfield, MN 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−.
22 notable people were born here, including Tom Lieb and Donald Edward DeGrood.
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