Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Olivia’s best subject grades are an A for walkability and an A− for cost of living and safety; its weakest is a C for incomes. 30% of working residents work locally in Olivia, above both Minnesota’s towns (9.8%) and U.S. towns (8%). Only 29 of Minnesota’s 572 towns score lower on health. Heins Block is on the National Register of Historic Places. Olivia has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Olivia beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Olivia is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 48 in 1880, 2,343 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1903 and a map from 1982 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Olivia, 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 Olivia.
The typical Olivia home is worth about $197,000, up 8.1% in a year, 44% below the Minnesota typical home. At $780 a month, Olivia’s median rent is below both the Minnesota town median ($1,196 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). 66% of households own their home in Olivia.
| Olivia | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $780 a month | $1,196 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 66% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Bird Island-Olivia-Lake Lillian school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| BOLD-Bird Island ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 260 | B |
| BOLD Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 203 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Olivia’s property crime rate is 3.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Olivia | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.1 per 1,000 residents | 8.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 80% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Olivia has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 5° and about 38 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Olivia beats the Minnesota average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16. 29% of Olivia adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Olivia | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 23% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Olivia | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.9% | 8.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.8% | 5.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 10.1% | 7.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
About one in 3 of Olivia’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Olivia is 18 minutes. The top destinations are Willmar (10%), Emmet Township (5%) and Bird Island (4%).
| Olivia | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 6.6% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
0.1 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Henton Park | 0.1 mi | 8 |
| 2. Nester Park | — | 2 |
| 3. Memorial Park & Camping | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Olivia; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Olivia residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
5 notable people were born in Olivia.
City in Minnesota, United States
Olivia is the county seat of Renville County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 2,343 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Olivia.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olivia | — | — | A− | A− | B | C+ |
| Bird Island Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Troy Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Olivia has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Bird Island Township and Troy Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Olivia with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Olivia was platted in 1878 and has 1 place on the National Register of Historic Places. 5 notable people were born here, including Kathleen Winsor and Tom Ruud.
