Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
North Mankato is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades A− overall, 98th among Minnesota's 271 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 86% of the country. It also does better than most on incomes: the median household earns $81K. A typical home there costs about $310K, 4.1 years of the Mankato metro’s $76K median household income. North Mankato is home to South Central College. Among 274 Minnesota towns, just 10 have a higher typical July afternoon high than North Mankato. North Mankato has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them North Mankato Public School and William E. Stewart House.
Where North Mankato beats most towns.
| Widest gap | North Mankato | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.5% | 11.4% |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far North Mankato is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 939 in 1900, 14,275 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1965 and 3 maps from 1951 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in North Mankato, 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 North Mankato.
North Mankato pairs an A− overall with homes cheaper than the Minnesota norm, trades workers with Mankato and other neighbors and has a shorter frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of Minnesota.
14% of adults say their health is fair or poor in North Mankato. In North Mankato, 28% of adults feel lonely, and 11% report frequent physical distress.
| North Mankato | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 33% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 36% |
| What stands out | North Mankato | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.5% | 11.4% |
| Fewer adults in fair or poor health | 13.7% | 16% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Below: Three of its 7 schools, each with why it was picked. Public schools: the Mankato Public School District. The 6 public schools in North Mankato teach 1,985 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dakota Meadows Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 852 | B− |
| Futures ProgramLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 33 | C− |
| Bridges Community ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 251 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
The biggest park or preserve is Benson Park, at 67 acres. There are 3.4 miles of trail across 16 parks and preserves. North Mankato’s trail density is 0.5 miles per square mile.
| North Mankato | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.1% | 4.6% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Spring Lake Park | 0.9 mi | 56 |
| 2. Benson Park | 0.5 mi | 67 |
| 3. Caswell Park | — | 28 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Mankato weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 161 days: shorter than most of the country, but longer than 86% of Minnesota places with climate records. The Mankato weather station records that about 10 days a year reach 90°: fewer than most of the country, but more than 78% of Minnesota places with climate records.
North Mankato’s January low stands at 6°F, near the Minnesota town median (6°F) and below the median of U.S. towns (22°F).
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
North Mankato has about as many jobs (7,146) as working residents, but only 1,279 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 14.8 minutes, against 22.7 across Minnesota.
The share of residents in North Mankato who live below the poverty line: 4.5%. For most workers, North Mankato is a place to come home to: only 19% work in town. Its typical journey to work stands at 15 minutes, against 23 minutes in Minnesota’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Also worth knowing: jobs in North Mankato grew by 1,776 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 7,146.
| North Mankato | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 9.7% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.5% | 7.1% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 10% | 14% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
40% of North Mankato’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 23%. On expected storm and flood damage, North Mankato sits below 61% of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in North Mankato once, in 2024.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
North Mankato grades A− overall with a typical home of about $310K, below the Minnesota typical value; only 39 of the 123 Minnesota towns graded A− or better can say that.
For North Mankato, the rent at the middle of the market is $973 a month. The typical home value locally is about $310,000, up 2.4% in a year, 11% below the Minnesota typical home. 70% of North Mankato households own their home.
| North Mankato | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $973 a month | $1,199 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Reported crimes fell from 188 to 119 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The level of property crime in North Mankato is 6.8 per 1,000 residents. The violent crime rate locally is 1.6 per 1,000 residents.
| North Mankato | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.8 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
No age group stands out against Minnesota: all are within 4 points. Among residents in North Mankato, 24% are under 18.
| North Mankato | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 33% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 24% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 38.5 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 18% | 18% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.8 points. Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 38.0, men 39.7.
| North Mankato | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.1% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.3% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.9% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.7% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 17.3% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.6% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.1% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.3% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.7% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.9% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.7% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.3% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 16.4% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 29.5% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.2% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
4 within 15 miles of the center of North Mankato
About 5 of every 100 North Mankato residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Minnesota.
2 places in North Mankato on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 towns share a border with North Mankato.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Mankato | #98 | A− | B | B | B | A |
| Belgrade Township | — | — | C− | — | B | A− |
| Mankato | #239 | C+ | C | C− | B | B+ |
| Mankato Township | — | — | C− | — | B | B+ |
Belgrade Township and Mankato Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Belgrade Township and Mankato Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare North Mankato with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. North Mankato grades A− overall, better than 85% of U.S. towns and #98 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades A for health, B for safety and B for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
