Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,473, settled in 1856.
Janesville’s best subject grades are an A− for safety and a B+ for civic life. 5.9% of workers work from home in Janesville, where Minnesota’s towns sit at 14% and U.S. towns at 11%. Janesville Free Public Library is on the National Register of Historic Places. Janesville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Janesville beats most towns.
Where Janesville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Janesville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,021 in 1880, 2,421 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1912 and 2 maps from 1966 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Janesville, 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 Janesville.
At 4.5 per 1,000 residents, Janesville’s property crime rate is against 8.7 in Minnesota’s towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns.
| Janesville | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.5 per 1,000 residents | 8.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton Sec, with 312 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton ElemLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 317 | A− |
| Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton SecLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 312 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Janesville for work: only 7% work in town. Since 2013, Janesville has added 110 jobs, to 474 in 2023. 3.8% of residents live below the poverty line in Janesville.
| Janesville | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3.8% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $75,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Janesville tracks Minnesota closely on all 32 CDC measures. 20% of Janesville adults binge drink.
| Janesville | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 75% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 31% | 35% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Janesville has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 6° and about 52 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Janesville home is worth about $285,000, up 4.3% in a year, 18% below the Minnesota typical home. The median rent in Janesville is $873 a month.
| Janesville | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 85% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $873 a month | $1,196 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 56% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.5 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Rolling Acres Park and Green Space, at 33 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rolling Acres Park and Green Space | — | 33 |
| 2. Veterans Memorial Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Northwood Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Janesville
About 3 of every 100 Janesville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
City in Minnesota, United States
Janesville is a city in Waseca County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,421 at the 2020 census, and was estimated at 2,462 in 2024. U.S. Highway 14 serves as a main route in the community, running east–west, south of Janesville. County Road 3 runs north–south through the town. There is one disabled stoplight, now a four way stop, in Janesville at the intersection of County Road 3 (Main Street) and old Highway 14.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Janesville.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Janesville · Janesville Township | — | — | B+ | A− | B | B+ |
Janesville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Janesville Township and Janesville are one community, graded once. Compare Janesville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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 B+.