Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 21,992, settled in 1855. More miles of trail than almost any town in Minnesota.
Trash day: look up yoursNorthfield's standout: it has 25 miles of trail. Overall it grades A−, 102nd among Minnesota's 271 graded towns. It is healthier than 91% of U.S. towns and its public schools beat 88% of Minnesota towns on state tests and graduation. 35% of working residents work locally in Northfield, above both Minnesota’s towns (9.7%) and U.S. towns (8%). On walkability, just 14 of Minnesota’s 574 towns do better. Northfield is home to St Olaf College.
Where Northfield beats most towns.
O. E. Rolvaag House is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 2,296 in 1880, 20,790 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1865 and 2 maps from 1960 on.
14 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Northfield is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Northfield, 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 Northfield.
Northfield is shaped by its college students, has more trail for its size than nearly any town in Minnesota and has colder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of Minnesota.
At 2.9 miles of trail per square mile, it ranks #3 of 220 Minnesota towns.
Northfield’s trail density is 2.9 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Sechler Park, 62 acres with 1.2 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sechler Park | 1.2 mi | 62 |
| 2. Spring Creek Park & Playground | 1.1 mi | 34 |
| 3. Lashbrook Park | 1 mi | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Northfield Public School District. Three of its 14 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northfield MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 845 | A− |
| Northfield Senior HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,283 | A− |
| Bridgewater ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 564 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
9.8% of adults report frequent physical distress in Northfield. Northfield beats the Minnesota average on 15 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 27% of adults have high blood pressure in Northfield.
| Northfield | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.8% | 12% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 31% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.9% | 10% | 12% |
| What stands out | Northfield | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer smokers | 9.5% | 13.1% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 4% | 5.4% |
| Fewer adults getting cholesterol checked | 82.2% | 85.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
January nights average 6.2°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 84% of Minnesota places with climate records; July afternoons average 82°.
Northfield has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The January low in Northfield is 6°F. About 43 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Northfield | 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
About one in 3 of Northfield’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Northfield has added 782 jobs, to 9,725 in 2023. 16% of Northfield workers work from home.
| Northfield | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 16% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.8% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Northfield home is worth about $393,000, up 1.9% in a year, 13% above the Minnesota typical home.
| Northfield | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 36% | 48% | 48% |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,103 a month | $1,199 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 1998, 24 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Northfield.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Northfield
College town 28 of every 100 Northfield residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
13.9% of the town is conserved land, across 40 parks and preserves.
14 places in Northfield on the National Register of Historic Places.
20 notable people were born in Northfield.
City in Minnesota, United States
Northfield is a city in Rice County, Minnesota, United States. A small portion lies in the adjacent Dakota County. The population was 20,790 at the 2020 census. Northfield is 40 mi (64 km) south of the downtowns of Minneapolis and St. Paul and is an exurb of the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. It is home to two private liberal arts colleges, Carleton College and St. Olaf College.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Northfield.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northfield · Northfield Township | #102 | A− | C | B− | A | A |
| Bridgewater Township | — | — | C− | — | A | A |
| Greenvale Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Waterford Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dundas | — | — | C− | B | A | A− |
Bridgewater Township and Dundas have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Bridgewater Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Greenvale Township and Waterford Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Northfield Township and Northfield are one community, graded once. Compare Northfield with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Northfield grades A− overall, better than 84% of U.S. towns and #102 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades A for health, B− for safety and A 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 C.
20 notable people were born here, including Peter Agre and Siri Hustvedt.
