Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Grand Meadow’s subject grades are an A for cost of living and an A− for health; the weakest is a C for schools. Grand Meadow’s midsummer high is 80°F, where Minnesota’s towns sit at 82°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. Grand Meadow has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Exchange State Bank. Grand Meadow has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Grand Meadow beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Grand Meadow | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.3% | 8.9% |
Exchange State BankIn a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Grand Meadow is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 374 in 1880, 1,127 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 2 maps from 1965 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Grand Meadow, 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 Grand Meadow.
Among adults in Grand Meadow, 74% had a checkup this year, against 75% in Minnesota’s towns and 79% across U.S. towns. In Grand Meadow, just over one in ten adults report frequent physical distress.
| Grand Meadow | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 75% | 79% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 33% |
| What stands out | Grand Meadow | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.3% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Public schools: the Grand Meadow Public School District. Two of the 5 schools are below, and why each made the list.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Meadow ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 172 | A |
| Grand Meadow Senior HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 140 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Grand Meadow rose by 55, to 330. Commuting out is the norm in the town: 8% of working residents work locally. For residents here, the share who live below the poverty line is 4.3%. The top destinations are Rochester (43%), Stewartville (7%) and Grand Meadow Township (4%).
| Grand Meadow | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 4.3% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 9.3% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $72,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Among households in Grand Meadow, 87% own their home. Values rose 1.2% in the 12 months to September 2026.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
No age group stands out against Minnesota: all are within 4 points. Grand Meadow has grown 2.7% since 2020, to 1,159 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 31% of adults 25 and older hold at least a bachelor’s degree, against 39% across Minnesota.
| Grand Meadow | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 38.6 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 18% | 18% |
54% women, 46% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.2 points. Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Grand Meadow | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.1% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 15.2% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12.7% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.8% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.6% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.5% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.3% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.9% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.4% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 39.3% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.1% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.4% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.8% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,200, single groups can be off by several points
In Grand Meadow, the FEMA risk score is 53 of 100. 47% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by drought at 17%. Households here have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 2004.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Veteran's Memorial Park | — | 2 |
| 2. Grand Meadow City Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Grand Meadow; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Grand Meadow residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Minnesota.
Where Grand Meadow’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Grand Meadow on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Minnesota, United States
Grand Meadow is a city in Mower County, Minnesota, United States. The city is on the boundary between Grand Meadow Township and Frankford Township, and it is politically independent of both townships. The population was 1,127 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
