Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,630, settled in 1897. Public schools that outperform most of Minnesota.
Trash & recyclingNowthen is one of the best-graded places in America: an A, ranked 55th of 271 in Minnesota. The median household earns $160K, its public schools beat 80% of Minnesota towns on state tests and graduation, and residents are healthier than 76% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its lowest mark, a C+, is in cost of living. Nowthen’s median household income is $160,000, against $90,000 in Minnesota’s towns and $80,000 across U.S. towns. Sparre Barn is on the National Register of Historic Places. Nowthen's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 85% of U.S. towns.
Where Nowthen beats most towns.
Where Nowthen’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 Nowthen is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 340 in 1870, 4,536 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper and 3 maps from 1916 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Nowthen, 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 Nowthen.
Nowthen has less tooth loss than most of Minnesota, has household incomes well above the Minnesota norm and has added half again as many jobs in ten years.
Its public schools are run by the St. Francis Area Schools. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. John Lutheran School PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 178 | – |
| Crossroads SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 16 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Minnesota is tooth loss: 5.4% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 8.9% statewide. Against the 2,149 U.S. towns with household incomes like Nowthen’s, it is less healthy than 85%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
29% of Nowthen adults sleep under 7 hours. Nowthen beats the Minnesota average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 73% of Nowthen adults had a checkup this year.
| Nowthen | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 75% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 33% |
| What stands out | Nowthen | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.4% | 8.9% |
| More adults seeing a dentist | 71.9% | 67.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here grew from 407 in 2013 to 805.
Most working residents leave Nowthen for work: only 5% work in town. Jobs based in Nowthen grew to 805 in 2023, 398 more than in 2013. 4.1% of residents live below the poverty line in Nowthen.
| Nowthen | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 4.1% | 7.1% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.1% | 9.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The median household earns $160,417, against $89,062 across Minnesota, one input to its A for jobs and income.
Adults 18 to 34 are 12% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 46% of residents (38% statewide). Nowthen has grown 2.2% since 2020, to 4,630 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 38% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 39% across Minnesota.
| Nowthen | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 18% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 33% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.7 points. Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Nowthen | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 15.6% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.7% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 5.2% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.2% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.7% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.3% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.4% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.4% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.3% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.6% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.9% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.1% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 21.7% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,600, single groups can be off by several points
Nowthen has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Nowthen is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Nowthen since 1997.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The biggest park or preserve is Bearman Wildlife Management Area, at 38 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bearman Wildlife Management Area | — | 38 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Nowthen. Close and well known come first.
Big draw27 mi Stadium & arenaU.S. Bank Stadium
26 mi Stadium & arenaTarget Field
27 mi Stadium & arenaHuntington Bank Stadium
32 mi Stadium & arenaGrand Casino Arena
29 mi LakeLake Minnetonka
28 mi LakeBde Maka SkaU.S. Bank Stadium: Darb02, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Target Field: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Huntington Bank Stadium: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Grand Casino Arena: AlexiusHoratius, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Minnetonka: Dan, CC BY 2.0 · Bde Maka Ska: Tyler Vigen, CC BY-SA 4.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Nowthen
About 2 of every 100 Nowthen residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
City in Minnesota, United States
Nowthen is a city in Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 4,536 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Nowthen.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nowthen | #55 | A | C+ | — | A− | A− |
| St. Francis | #110 | A− | B+ | B+ | B | B |
| Oak Grove | #181 | B | C+ | — | B | A− |
| Ramsey | #84 | A | C | A | A− | A− |
| Elk River | #48 | A | B− | B+ | A | A− |
Nowthen and Oak Grove report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Nowthen with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Nowthen grades A overall, better than 93% of U.S. towns and #55 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades A− for health and A− for schools.
The typical home is worth about $460,000, 32% above the Minnesota typical home. 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 C+.
