Fertile Veteran's Memorial Plaza-01, 2013
Fertile’s story
145 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2013.
- 1881Fertile is settled
FertileMN
A town of 777, settled in 1881.
Photo: Myotus · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
777
2025 Census estimate · −2.9% since 2020
Typical home
$247K
+7.2% in a year
Household income
$67K
median
Median age
44.9
years
Jobs based here
428
Balanced
Is Fertile a good place to live?
The biggest park or preserve is Sand Hill Recreation Area, at 497 acres. Fertile has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
777 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Fertile: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fertile, and how to reach them.
PowerOtter Tail Power11.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterFertile water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Fertile’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn 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).vote.govWho runs elections herePolk County Taxpayer Service CenterPolk County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code5654056540 100%Census 2020
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 Fertile.
Housing
A home in Fertile is worth about $247K, on Zillow’s estimate
Fertile’s typical rent is $823 a month, below both the Minnesota town median ($1,196 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Values rose 7.2% in the 12 months to September 2026. In Fertile, 72% of households own their home.
$247KZillow home value
| Fertile | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $823 a month | $1,196 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 75% | 73% |
Typical home value
Fertile$247K
Minnesota$349K
+7.2%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Schools
The schools Fertile’s kids attend
Public schools: the Fertile-Beltrami School District. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fertile-Beltrami ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 249 | A |
| Fertile-Beltrami SecondaryLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 246 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers: that is Fertile’s year
Fertile’s peak summer temperature is 80°F, against 82°F in Minnesota’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns.
50″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter2–19°
Spring30–51°
Summer55–78°
Fall34–53°
Sep 28
typical first frost
May 7
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commute
About one in five working residents works right in Fertile
Half the trips to work are shorter than 23 miles. The typical household income in Fertile is $67,000. The top destinations are Crookston (21%), Thief River Falls (6%) and Fargo (6%).
20%work in town
| Fertile | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 8.7% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Fertile20%
Crookston21%
Thief River Falls6%
Fargo6%
Grand Forks5%
23 mi
median commute distance
428
jobs based in Fertile
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Natural hazards: high risk in Fertile, mostly inland flooding
Federal aid has come to Fertile households in 4 declared disasters; the latest was in 2019. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 64% of U.S. communities. FEMA puts 44% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 27% to cold waves.
64risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesDrought
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Health
How healthy Fertile is
Among adults in Fertile, 14% report frequent mental distress. CDC measures, 32 in all: Fertile beats Minnesota on 1 and trails on 6. 31% of adults in Fertile sleep under 7 hours; 30% feel lonely.
| Fertile | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 30% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 33% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 23% | 25% |
32 measures vs. Minnesota
1 better25 too close to call6 worse
| What stands out | Fertile | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.4% | 76.1% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.1% | 5.9% |
Essentia Health Ada
19.8 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
0% of Fertile is conserved land
Walkers can cover 1.4 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. In Fertile, the trail density is 0.7 miles per square mile.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,320 acres
1.4 mi
of trails · 0.7 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sand Hill Recreation Area | 0.1 mi | 497 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Fertile
18pages on Fertile
The big questions
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Fertile; the nearest are
White Earth Tribal and Community CollegeCommunity college · Private nonprofit · Mahnomen21.3 mi$5,490 tuitionUniversity of Minnesota-CrookstonUniversity or college · Public · Crookston24.1 mi$13,288 in-state tuitionNorthland Community and Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Thief River Falls41.4 mi$6,289 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Fertile residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
About Fertile
City in Minnesota, United States
Fertile ( FUR-til) is a city in Polk County, Minnesota, United States. It is part of the Grand Forks ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 804 at the 2020 census. The annual Polk County Fair is held in Fertile and dates to 1900. This is Fertile's main attraction during the summer. It holds many competitions for crops, animals, and manmade items.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,138 ft
- ZIP code
- 56540
- Area code
- 218
Questions about Fertile
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Fertile, MN a good place to live?
Fertile has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What is Fertile, MN known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Arlo Brunsberg and Hector Ames Hanson.