HectorMN
A town of 989, settled in 1875.
Is Hector a good place to live?
Hector’s average commute is 16 minutes, against 23 minutes in Minnesota’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Only 4 of the 274 Minnesota towns we compare have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Hector. Hector has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
989 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Hector: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hector, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Hector.
Homes in Hector are worth about $212K, by Zillow’s estimate
Typical home values rose 8% in the year to September 2026. Hector’s median rent is $1,125 a month, near both the Minnesota town median ($1,196 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
| Hector | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,125 a month | $1,196 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 75% | 73% |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The schools Hector’s kids attend
The public schools here belong to the Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart school district. Its two schools are below. The 2 public schools in Hector teach 431 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart ElementLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 186 | A− |
| Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart SecondaLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 245 | C |
NCES · EDFacts
With 0.4 jobs for every working resident, most of Hector’s workers commute out
The top destinations are Hutchinson (18%), Buffalo Lake (13%) and Glencoe (3%). Most working residents leave Hector for work: only 7% work in town. The town had 217 jobs in 2023, down 271 from 2013. The typical household income locally is $63,000.
| Hector | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $63,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.9% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.8% | 7% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Hector has a low natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
Hector’s risk rating from FEMA stands at 23 of 100. FEMA puts 33% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 20% to cold waves. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Hector after 4 declared disasters, most recently in 2019.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Four seasons and pleasant summers: that is Hector’s year
A winter brings about 38 inches of snow, with January nights at 5° and July afternoons at 82°.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Crime reported in Hector
In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown. No violent or property crimes were reported in Hector in 2025.
Hector is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Hector stands out in Minnesota and nationally: a larger share of its adults have diabetes
One in ten adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Hector. CDC measures, 32 in all: Hector beats Minnesota on 1 and trails on 12. Among 272 Minnesota towns, just 9 have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Hector.
| Hector | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 36% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 10% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 23% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Hector | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.2% | 76.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.2% | 5.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Hector
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Hector; the nearest are
About 7 of every 100 Hector residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Minnesota.
Hector has shrunk 15% since 2010
1,151 counted in 2010 and 1,012 in 2020; an estimated 989 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
About Hector
City in Minnesota, United States
Hector is a city in Renville County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,012 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1878
- Area
- 1.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,079 ft
- ZIP code
- 55342
- Area code
- 320
Questions about Hector
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Hector, MN a good place to live?
Hector has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What is Hector, MN known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Dorothy Peterson and Calvin Roberts.