Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Glencoe gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $258K, 3.2 years of the Hutchinson area’s $80K median household income. It grades B+ overall, 179th among Minnesota's 271 graded towns. Among 273 Minnesota towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Glencoe. Glencoe is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 71% of U.S. towns.
Where Glencoe beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Glencoe is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,078 in 1880, 5,744 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1942 and 2 maps from 1958 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Glencoe, 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 Glencoe.
Glencoe trades workers with Hutchinson and other neighbors, has seen reported crime fall by a third or more and has cooler summers than most of the country, though not than most of Minnesota.
Its public schools are run by the Glencoe-Silver Lake School District. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Glencoe-Silver Lake Senior High, with 468 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 290 | – |
| Glencoe-Silver Lake Senior HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 468 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
The typical Glencoe home is worth about $258,000, up 2.2% in a year, 26% below the Minnesota typical home.
| Glencoe | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 70% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,101 a month | $1,199 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons average 82.3°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 85% of Minnesota places with climate records; January nights average 5.2°.
Glencoe has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. At 5°F, Glencoe’s January low is close to Minnesota’s towns (6°F) and below U.S. towns (22°F). About 50 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Glencoe | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 5°F | 6°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Reported crimes fell from 71 to 48 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Glencoe has about as many jobs (2,841) as working residents, but only 719 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Glencoe’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Glencoe grew to 2,841 in 2023, 347 more than in 2013. At $71,000, Glencoe’s median household income is where Minnesota’s towns sit at $91,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000.
| Glencoe | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 9.7% | 8% |
| Median household income | $71,000 | $91,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 9.2% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
43% of adults have obesity in Glencoe. Glencoe beats the Minnesota average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 34% of adults have high blood pressure in Glencoe.
| Glencoe | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 35% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 23% | 25% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 75% | 79% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 7.3% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Glencoe | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 11.4% | 7.5% |
| More adults who get no exercise | 29% | 22.3% |
| More adults with obesity | 42.9% | 33.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 1991, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Glencoe.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Oscar Olson Park | — | 13 |
| 2. Lincoln Park | — | 2 |
| 3. Glenn Knoll Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Glencoe; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Glencoe residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
2 places in Glencoe on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Glencoe.
City in the United States
Glencoe ( GLEN-koh) is a city and the county seat of McLeod County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,744 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Glencoe.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glencoe · Glencoe Township | #179 | B+ | B | B+ | B | C+ |
| Helen Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Helen Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Glencoe Township and Glencoe are one community, graded once. Compare Glencoe with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Glencoe grades B+ overall, better than 66% of U.S. towns and #179 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades C+ for health, B+ 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.
Glencoe was laid out in 1855 and has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 5 notable people were born here, including August Dvorak and Gwen Walz.
