Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 7,714, settled in 1865.
Isanti gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $333K for a typical one, or 3.3 years of the Minneapolis metro’s $100K median household income. It grades A overall, ranked 70th of 271 in Minnesota. On the plus side, the median household earns $88K. 11% of residents are 65 or older in Isanti, against 18% in Minnesota’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Bluebird Park, at 71 acres.
Where Isanti beats most towns.
5,251 counted in 2010 and 6,804 in 2020; an estimated 7,714 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 13% since 2020, after 29.6% 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 Isanti is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 316 in 1910, 6,804 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1860 and 2 maps from 1985 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Isanti, 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 Isanti.
Isanti trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, has seen reported crime fall by about half and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Minnesota.
5.0 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The trail density in Isanti is 1.0 miles per square mile.
| Isanti | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.2% | 4.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Legacy Park | 0.7 mi | 22 |
| 2. Bluebird Park | — | 71 |
| 3. Unity Park | — | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Cambridge-Isanti Public School District. Three of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isanti Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 449 | B− |
| St. Scholastica HSC Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 1–12 | Grades 1–12 | 40 | – |
| Cambridge-Isanti STEAM SchoolTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 139 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 68 to 32 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 3 reported in 2025, 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
Isanti’s property crime rate is 3.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Isanti | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.8 per 1,000 residents | 8.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Jobs based here grew from 971 in 2013 to 1,354.
Most working residents leave Isanti for work: only 7% work in town. Jobs based in Isanti grew to 1,354 in 2023, 383 more than in 2013. 5.2% of residents live below the poverty line in Isanti.
| Isanti | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.2% | 7.1% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 7.2% | 9.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Within Minnesota it is less healthy than 59% of the 271 graded towns: Minnesota sets a high bar.
Isanti beats the Minnesota average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 70% of Isanti adults had a checkup this year.
| Isanti | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 75% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 31% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.1% | 10% | 12% |
| What stands out | Isanti | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.4% | 8.5% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.7% | 5.9% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.3% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Isanti has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 4° and about 44 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Isanti.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Homes are within reach (about $333K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 25 miles.
The typical Isanti home is worth about $333,000, up 2% in a year, close to the Minnesota typical home.
| Isanti | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 83% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,256 a month | $1,192 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Isanti; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Isanti residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Minnesota.
Where Isanti’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in the United States
Isanti ( eye-SAN-tee) is a city in Isanti County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 6,804 at the 2020 census. The name Isanti is composed of two Dakota words: isan ("knife") and ati ("camp"), and refers to the Santee Dakota people. Minnesota State Highway 65 and Isanti County Road 5 are the main routes in Isanti.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Isanti.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isanti | #70 | A | B+ | A− | B− | B+ |
| Isanti Township | — | — | B | — | B− | B+ |
| Bradford Township | #215 | B− | B | — | B− | B+ |
| Athens Township | — | — | B | — | B− | B+ |
Isanti Township and Athens Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Isanti Township, Bradford Township and Athens Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Isanti with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Isanti grades A overall, better than 91% of U.S. towns and #70 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades B+ for health, A− for safety and B− for schools.
Not for the area. 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 B+.