Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,392, settled in 1877.
Hanover's standout: the median household earns $157K. Overall it grades A−, 101st among Minnesota's 271 graded towns. It is healthier than 93% of U.S. towns and its public schools beat 81% of Minnesota towns on state tests and graduation. Hanover’s median household income is $157,000, against $90,000 in Minnesota’s towns and $80,000 across U.S. towns. Only 1 of the 273 Minnesota towns we compare have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Hanover. Hanover Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Hanover beats most towns.
2,938 counted in 2010 and 3,548 in 2020; an estimated 4,392 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 23.8% since 2020, after 20.8% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Hanover is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 259 in 1900, 3,548 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2008 and 4 maps from 1909 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hanover, 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 Hanover.
Hanover has less heart disease than most of Minnesota and has household incomes well above the Minnesota norm, but it has commutes longer than most of Minnesota.
Its widest gap with Minnesota is heart disease: 3.8% of its 2,367 adults have heart disease, against 5.9% statewide. Against the 2,361 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hanover’s, it is healthier than 62%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
7.1% of adults have diabetes in Hanover. Hanover beats the Minnesota average on 19 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 26% of adults have high blood pressure in Hanover.
| Hanover | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.2% | 12% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.1% | 10% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | Hanover | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 3.8% | 5.9% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2% | 3.1% |
| More binge drinkers | 21.6% | 17.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanover ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 368 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
The average commute for its 2,003 working residents takes 30.7 minutes, against 22.7 across Minnesota. Jobs based here grew from 362 in 2013 to 733.
Most working residents leave Hanover for work: only 2% work in town. 27% of Hanover workers work from home. Jobs based in Hanover grew to 733 in 2023, 371 more than in 2013.
| Hanover | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 27% | 14% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.9% | 9.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Hanover home is worth about $456,000, up 1% in a year, 31% above the Minnesota typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1.9 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Crow-Hassan Park Reserve, 379 acres with 1.8 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Crow-Hassan Park Reserve | 1.8 mi | 379 |
| 2. Riverside County Park | 0.1 mi | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Hanover has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Hanover is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 56% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hanover. Close and well known come first.
Big draw24 mi Stadium & arenaU.S. Bank Stadium
22 mi Stadium & arenaTarget Field
25 mi Stadium & arenaHuntington Bank Stadium
16 mi LakeLake Minnetonka
31 mi Stadium & arenaGrand Casino Arena
27 mi Theme parkValleyfairU.S. Bank Stadium: Darb02, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Target Field: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Huntington Bank Stadium: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Minnetonka: Dan, CC BY 2.0 · Grand Casino Arena: AlexiusHoratius, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Valleyfair: https://www.flickr.com/photos/clumpinglitter/, CC BY-SA 2.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Hanover
About 3 of every 100 Hanover residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
Where Hanover’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Minnesota, United States
Hanover is a city in Wright and Hennepin counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 3,548 at the 2020 census. Hanover is mainly located within Wright County; only a small part of the city extends into Hennepin County. Even though Hanover is partly in the metropolitan county of Hennepin, it does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Council.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Hanover.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanover | #101 | A− | C | — | A− | A |
| Rockford Township | #107 | A− | B− | — | A− | A− |
| Greenfield | #142 | A− | C− | — | B+ | A |
| St. Michael | #26 | A+ | B− | — | A | A |
| Rogers | #95 | A | C | C+ | A | A+ |
| Corcoran | #44 | A | C− | A+ | A− | A+ |
Hanover, Rockford Township, Greenfield and St. Michael report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Hanover with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Hanover grades A− overall, better than 84% of U.S. towns and #101 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades A for health and A− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 4.6 years of the area's median household income ($99,833 across the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
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