Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,117, settled in 1902.
Few places in the country grade higher. Lonsdale earns an A+, 19th of 271 graded towns in Minnesota. The median household earns $95K, crime is low: it reports less per resident than 94% of U.S. towns, and its public schools beat 81% of Minnesota towns on state tests and graduation. Its lowest mark, a B−, is in cost of living. 36% of residents are under 18 in Lonsdale, above both Minnesota’s towns (23%) and U.S. towns (22%). Lonsdale Public School is on the National Register of Historic Places. Among 273 Minnesota towns, just 5 have a lower median age than Lonsdale.
Where Lonsdale beats most towns.
3,674 counted in 2010 and 4,686 in 2020; an estimated 5,117 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 9.2% since 2020, after 27.5% 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 Lonsdale is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 271 in 1910, 4,686 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 2 maps from 1960 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lonsdale, 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 Lonsdale.
Lonsdale sends most of its workers to Northfield and beyond, sees little violent crime and has colder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of Minnesota.
Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Lonsdale is 1.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Lonsdale | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.4 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
Its public schools are run by the Tri-City United School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lonsdale Pre K-6Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 331 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Lonsdale beats the Minnesota average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 21% of Lonsdale adults binge drink.
| Lonsdale | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.3% | 10% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 31% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 75% | 79% |
| What stands out | Lonsdale | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.2% | 3.1% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.2% | 5.9% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11.4% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Lonsdale has 683 jobs for its 2,759 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 31.7 minutes, against 22.7 across Minnesota.
Most working residents leave Lonsdale for work: only 7% work in town. Lonsdale’s average trip to work is 32 minutes. Since 2013, Lonsdale has added 382 jobs, to 683 in 2023.
| Lonsdale | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 1.3% | 7.1% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $95,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 7% | 9.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
January nights average 6.3°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 87% of Minnesota places with climate records; July afternoons average 81.5°.
Lonsdale has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. About 39 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Lonsdale | 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
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.4 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Sticha Park, at 41 acres.
| Lonsdale | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.2% | 4.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kalina Park | 0.3 mi | 24 |
| 2. Sticha Park | — | 41 |
| 3. Trendra Memorial Park | 0.1 mi | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Lonsdale home is worth about $372,000, up 2.1% in a year, 7% above the Minnesota typical home. 92% of households own their home in Lonsdale.
| Lonsdale | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 92% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $906 a month | $1,199 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2 within 15 miles of the center of Lonsdale
About 4 of every 100 Lonsdale residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
Where Lonsdale’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Minnesota, United States
Lonsdale is a city in Rice County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 4,686 at the 2020 census, with a 2026 estimate of 5,243. A fast growing exurb of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area, Lonsdale is located 40 miles south of downtown Minneapolis.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Lonsdale.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lonsdale | #19 | A+ | B− | A | A− | A− |
| Wheatland Township | — | — | B− | — | A− | A− |
| Webster Township | — | — | C | — | A | A− |
Wheatland Township and Webster Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Wheatland Township and Webster Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Lonsdale with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Lonsdale grades A+ overall, better than 98% of U.S. towns and #19 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades A− for health, A for safety and A− for schools.
That is 4.5 years of the area's median household income ($83,181 across the Faribault-Northfield, MN 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−.