Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Jackson gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $209K, 2.8 years of the county’s $76K median household income. It grades A overall, 76th of 271 graded towns in Minnesota. 44% of working residents work locally in Jackson, above both Minnesota’s towns (9.7%) and U.S. towns (8%). On history, just 33 of Minnesota’s 574 towns do better. The biggest park or preserve is Dann's Island Wayside Park, at 22 acres.
Where Jackson beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Jackson is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 501 in 1880, 3,323 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 2 maps from 1970 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Jackson, 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 Jackson.
Jackson pairs an A overall with homes cheaper than the Minnesota norm, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has cooler summers than most of the country, though not than most of Minnesota.
Jackson grades A overall with a typical home of about $209K, below the Minnesota typical value; only 39 of the 123 Minnesota towns graded A− or better can say that. At 2.8 years of the county’s $76K median household income, the typical home (about $209K) costs less against local pay than in 92% of Minnesota towns; that ratio is one input to its A+ for cost of living.
The median rent in Jackson is $752 a month. The typical Jackson home is worth about $209,000, down 1% in a year, 40% below the Minnesota typical home. 67% of households own their home in Jackson.
| Jackson | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $752 a month | $1,199 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Jackson County Central School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Jackson County Central Senior High, with 332 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 350 | A− |
| Jackson County Central Senior HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 332 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Against the 10,523 U.S. towns with household incomes like Jackson’s, it is healthier than 84%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Within Minnesota it is less healthy than 61% of the 271 graded towns: Minnesota sets a high bar.
Jackson beats the Minnesota average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 28% of Jackson adults feel lonely.
| Jackson | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 75% | 79% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Jackson | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.9% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
July afternoons average 82.1°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 77% of Minnesota places with climate records; January nights average 6.3°.
Jackson has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Jackson’s January low is 6°F. About 49 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Jackson | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 6°F | 6°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 1,546 working residents takes 16.3 minutes, against 22.7 across Minnesota.
Jobs based in Jackson fell to 2,306 in 2023, 555 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Lakefield (5%), Windom (4%) and Fairmont (3%). Half commute less than 10 miles.
| Jackson | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $70,000 | $91,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
People 65 and older are 22% of residents (17% statewide). 31% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 39% across Minnesota.
| Jackson | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 17% | 18% |
| Median age | 42.2 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.8 points. Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Jackson | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.1% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.9% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.2% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.8% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.5% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.8% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.9% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.5% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.2% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.7% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.9% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.6% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.5% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.6% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.7% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,300, single groups can be off by several points
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 58% of U.S. communities. Since 1993, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Jackson.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.1 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dann's Island Wayside Park | — | 22 |
| 2. Benes Recreation Area | — | 13 |
| 3. Ashley Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Jackson; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Jackson residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
5 notable people were born in Jackson.
City in Minnesota, United States
Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,323 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Jackson.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson | #76 | A | A+ | — | B+ | B+ |
| Des Moines Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wisconsin Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Jackson reports no FBI crime data of its own. Des Moines Township and Wisconsin Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Jackson with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Jackson grades A overall, better than 89% of U.S. towns and #76 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades B+ for health and B+ 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+.
5 notable people were born here, including David Ellefson and Gary Amdahl.
