Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,374, platted in 1854. Public schools that outperform most of Minnesota.
Few places in the country grade higher. Monticello Township earns an A, 52nd of 271 graded towns in Minnesota. The median household earns $123K and its public schools beat 86% of Minnesota towns on state tests and graduation. Its lowest mark, a B, is in cost of living. Only 30 of Minnesota’s 574 towns score lower on walkability. Bertram Regional Park, at 1,243 acres with 23.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Only 1 of the 273 Minnesota towns we compare have a higher share of households owning their home than Monticello Township.
Where Monticello Township beats most towns.
Where Monticello Township’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 Monticello Township is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for jobs and income (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D for walkability (better than 9%), so the A overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 290 in 1880, 14,455 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1855 and 3 maps from 1961 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Monticello Township, 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 Monticello Township.
Monticello Township pairs an A for schools with modest home prices, gets more snow than most of the country, though not than most of Minnesota and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Minnesota.
Its A for schools comes with a B for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $371K.
Its public schools are run by the Monticello Public School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monticello Nature Based EducationLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 65 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
| Monticello Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.6% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bertram Regional Park | 23.5 mi | 1,243 |
| 2. Kelly-meyer Wildlife Management Area | — | 136 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The average commute for its 1,620 working residents takes 29.7 minutes, against 22.7 across Minnesota. Jobs based here grew from 369 in 2013 to 504.
1% of residents live below the poverty line in Monticello Township, where Minnesota’s towns sit at 7.1% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. The average trip to work in Monticello Township is 30 minutes. Since 2013, Monticello Township has added 135 jobs, to 504 in 2023.
| Monticello Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $123,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 1% | 7.1% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.7% | 9.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Within Minnesota it is less healthy than 53% of the 271 graded towns: Minnesota sets a high bar. Against the 5,282 U.S. towns with household incomes like Monticello Township’s, it is less healthy than 63%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Monticello Township tracks Minnesota closely on all 32 CDC measures. 20% of adults binge drink in Monticello Township, above both Minnesota’s towns (18%) and U.S. towns (16%). 74% of adults had a checkup this year in Monticello Township.
| Monticello Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 75% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 30% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 12% | 14% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Buffalo 2ne weather station, 5 miles away, records that 40 inches of snow fall in a normal winter: more than most of the country, but less than 85% of Minnesota places with climate records.
Monticello Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Monticello Township’s July high is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Monticello Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Monticello Township; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Monticello Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
City in Minnesota, United States
Monticello ( MON-tiss-EL-oh) is a city next to the Mississippi River in Wright County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,455 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Monticello Township.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monticello Township | #52 | A | B | — | A | B+ |
| Monticello | #63 | A | B− | — | A | B+ |
| Big Lake Township | #106 | A− | C+ | — | A | A− |
| Becker | #39 | A | B+ | A− | A− | A− |
| Otsego | #82 | A | C | — | A | A |
| Silver Creek Township | #85 | A | B | — | A | B+ |
| Buffalo Township | — | — | C+ | — | A− | A− |
| Maple Lake Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Buffalo Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Monticello Township, Monticello, Big Lake Township, Otsego, Silver Creek Township and Buffalo Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Maple Lake Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Monticello Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Monticello Township grades A overall, better than 93% of U.S. towns and #52 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades B+ for health and A for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
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.