Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,691, settled in 1870.
Granite Falls gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $152K for a typical one, or 2.1 years of the county’s $74K median household income. It grades B overall, ranked 193rd of 271 in Minnesota. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 80% of U.S. towns. 29% of working residents work locally in Granite Falls, where Minnesota’s towns sit at 9.7% and U.S. towns at 8%. Granite Falls is home to Minnesota West Community and Technical College. Among 274 Minnesota towns, just 1 have a higher July high than Granite Falls.
Where Granite Falls beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Granite Falls is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Andrew John Volstead House is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 578 in 1880, 2,737 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1878 and 2 maps from 1965 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Granite Falls, 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 Granite Falls.
Granite Falls is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
At 2.1 years of the county’s $74K median household income, the typical home (about $153K) costs less against local pay than in 99% of Minnesota towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
Granite Falls’ median rent is $920 a month. Typical home values rose 4.5% in the year to September 2026.
| Granite Falls | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $920 a month | $1,199 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 75% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Yellow Medicine East school district. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Yellow Medicine East Secondary, with 321 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bert Raney Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 284 | B |
| Yellow Medicine East SecondaryLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 321 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
113 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 10 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 113 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Granite Falls.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Granite Falls has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The January low in Granite Falls is 5°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Granite Falls’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Granite Falls has lost 169 jobs, to 1,585 in 2023. The top destinations are Montevideo (12%), Minnesota Falls Township (8%) and Marshall (5%).
| Granite Falls | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $91,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.7% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
1.0 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves.
| Granite Falls | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.6% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 34 to 6 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 0 reported in 2025, 0 per 1,000 residents.
Only 10 of the 167 Minnesota towns we compare have a lower violent crime rate than Granite Falls.
| Granite Falls | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.3 per 1,000 residents | 8.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 8,750 U.S. towns with household incomes like Granite Falls’s, it is healthier than 68%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Granite Falls beats the Minnesota average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16. 39% of adults have obesity in Granite Falls.
| Granite Falls | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 10% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 23% | 25% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 30% | 36% |
| What stands out | Granite Falls | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.8% | 76.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.6% | 5.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Granite Falls
About 3 of every 100 Granite Falls residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
2 places in Granite Falls on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Granite Falls.
City in Minnesota, United States
Granite Falls is a city located mostly in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota, of which it is the county seat with a small portion in Chippewa County, Minnesota. The population was 2,737 at the 2020 census. The Andrew John Volstead House, a National Historic Landmark (NHL), is located in Granite Falls. Another NHL located in Granite Falls is the Julian A. Weaver House.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Granite Falls.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granite Falls · Granite Falls Township | #193 | B | A | B | C+ | C+ |
| Minnesota Falls Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stony Run Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Minnesota Falls Township and Stony Run Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Granite Falls Township and Granite Falls are one community, graded once. Compare Granite Falls with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Granite Falls grades B overall, better than 60% of U.S. towns and #193 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades C+ for health, B for safety and C+ for schools.
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.
3 notable people were born here, including Archibald Bush and Arba J. Powers.
