Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Montrose gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $326K, 3.3 years of the Minneapolis metro’s $100K median household income. It grades A− overall, 100th among Minnesota's 271 graded towns. On the plus side, its public schools beat 81% of Minnesota towns on state tests and graduation. 6.9% of residents are 65 or older in Montrose, against 18% in Minnesota’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 76% of U.S. towns.
Where Montrose beats most towns.
2,847 counted in 2010 and 3,775 in 2020; an estimated 3,986 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 5.6% since 2020, after 32.6% 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 Montrose is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 141 in 1880, 3,775 in 2020. The archive holds 14 old photos and papers going back to 1904 and 2 maps from 1958 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Montrose, 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 Montrose.
Montrose pairs an A− overall with homes cheaper than the Minnesota norm, pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Minnesota.
Its A− for schools comes with a B+ for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $326K.
Its public schools are run by the Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montrose Elementary School of InnovLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 363 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Montrose has 309 jobs for its 1,991 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here fell from 637 in 2013 to 309.
Most working residents leave Montrose for work: only 1% work in town. The average trip to work in Montrose is 33 minutes. Since 2013, Montrose has lost 328 jobs, to 309 in 2023.
| Montrose | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.3% | 9.9% | 8% |
| Work from home | 8.6% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $103,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
People 65 and older are 7% of residents (17% statewide); children under 18 are 31% of residents (23% statewide). Montrose’s median age is 32.4 years. Montrose has grown 5.6% since 2020, to 3,986 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Montrose | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 31% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 32.4 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 33% | 29% |
45% women, 55% men
About 124 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.1 points). Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Montrose | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 17.9% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.3% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.2% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.8% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 17.2% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.8% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 2% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.4% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.7% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.3% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.2% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 29.3% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,000, single groups can be off by several points
Montrose has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 5° and about 45 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Within Minnesota it is less healthy than 68% of the 271 graded towns: Minnesota sets a high bar. Against the 8,201 U.S. towns with household incomes like Montrose’s, it is less healthy than 58%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Montrose beats the Minnesota average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 22% of Montrose adults binge drink.
| Montrose | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 75% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 25% | 23% |
| What stands out | Montrose | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6% | 8.5% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.4% | 5.9% |
| More smokers | 16.6% | 13.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Montrose grades A− overall with a typical home of about $326K, below the Minnesota typical value; only 39 of the 123 Minnesota towns graded A− or better can say that. Homes are within reach (about $326K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 23 miles.
The typical Montrose home is worth about $326,000, up 1.1% in a year, 7% below the Minnesota typical home.
| Montrose | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,474 a month | $1,192 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 78% | 75% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0.3 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Montrose | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Woodland Wildlife Management Area | — | 2 |
| 2. Lions Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Montrose; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Montrose residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
Where Montrose’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Minnesota, United States
Montrose is a small city in Wright County, Minnesota, United States. Montrose is surrounded by farmland, prairies, and lakes. The population was 3,775 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Montrose.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montrose | #100 | A− | B+ | — | A− | B |
| Marysville Township | — | — | B− | — | A− | B+ |
| Woodland Township | — | — | C+ | — | B+ | B |
| Waverly | — | — | A− | — | B+ | B |
Marysville Township, Woodland Township and Waverly have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Montrose, Marysville Township, Woodland Township and Waverly report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Montrose with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Montrose grades A− overall, better than 84% of U.S. towns and #100 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades B for health and A− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
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+.
