Is Otsego a good place to live?
Otsego's standout: the median household earns $120K. Overall it grades A, 82nd of 271 graded towns in Minnesota. Residents are healthier than 91% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and its schools rank ahead of 90% of Minnesota towns. 30% of residents are under 18 in Otsego, against 23% in Minnesota’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns. Only 50 of Minnesota’s 574 towns score lower on history. Otsego's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 86% of U.S. towns.
What makes Otsego stand out
Where Otsego beats most towns.
Otsego has grown 81% since 2010
13,571 counted in 2010 and 19,966 in 2020; an estimated 24,525 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 22.8% since 2020, after 47.1% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Otsego grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Otsego is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Otsego: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Otsego, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Otsego.
Otsego earns an A for health
21% of adults binge drink in Otsego. Otsego beats the Minnesota average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 9.4% of adults report frequent physical distress in Otsego.
| Otsego | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.4% | 12% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.6% | 10% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | Otsego | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4% | 5.9% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 3.8% | 5.4% |
| More binge drinkers | 21.3% | 17.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Otsego earns an A for schools
Its public schools are run by the Elk River Public School District. Three of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie View Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 953 | B+ |
| Kaleidoscope Charter High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 76 | B |
| Prairie View Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 755 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Most of Otsego’s workers commute out: the town has 0.3 jobs for each of them
The average commute for its 11,534 working residents takes 30.1 minutes, against 22.7 across Minnesota. Jobs based here grew from 1,385 in 2013 to 3,747.
Most working residents leave Otsego for work: only 4% work in town. The average trip to work in Otsego is 30 minutes. Since 2013, Otsego has added 2,362 jobs, to 3,747 in 2023.
| Otsego | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $120,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.5% | 7.1% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.4% | 9.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical home in Otsego is valued at about $432K
The typical Otsego home is worth about $432,000, about the same as a year ago, 24% above the Minnesota typical home. Otsego’s median rent is $1,765 a month.
| Otsego | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 93% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,765 a month | $1,192 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
In Otsego, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Otsego has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 5° and about 36 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
More children than Minnesota overall
10% of Otsego residents are 65 or older. Otsego has grown 23% since 2020, to 24,525 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 40% of Otsego adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Otsego | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 10% | 18% | 18% |
| Median age | 34.9 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 40% | 33% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.9 points. Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 35.2, men 34.4.
| Otsego | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 18.4% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.5% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.2% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.1% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 17.9% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.3% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.4% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.3% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.8% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.3% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.9% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.7% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.2% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 32.1% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.9% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Otsego has set aside 2.3% of its land for conservation
6.8 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Otsego Wildlife Management Area, at 199 acres.
| Otsego | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.3% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Otsego County Park | 2.5 mi | 74 |
| 2. Beaudry Meadows Park | 0.5 mi | 8 |
| 3. Lefebvre Creek Greenway | 0.3 mi | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Otsego faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 1997, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Otsego.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
U.S. Bank Stadium and 66 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Otsego. Close and well known come first.
Big draw27 mi Stadium & arenaU.S. Bank Stadium
26 mi Stadium & arenaTarget Field
28 mi Stadium & arenaHuntington Bank Stadium
34 mi Stadium & arenaGrand Casino Arena
23 mi LakeLake Minnetonka
33 mi Theme parkValleyfairPhoto credits
U.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 · Valleyfair: https://www.flickr.com/photos/clumpinglitter/, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Everything we know about Otsego
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Otsego
About 4 of every 100 Otsego residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
96% of working residents leave Otsego for work
Where Otsego’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Otsego
City in Minnesota, United States
Otsego ( ot-SEE-goh) is a city in Wright County, Minnesota, United States. It is a northwest suburb within the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. The population was 19,966 at the 2020 census, further growing to 24,525 by 2025. Otsego is the largest city in Wright County, and the 47th largest city in Minnesota. Minnesota State Highway 101 and Interstate 94 serve as the main routes in the city.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 30 sq mi
- Elevation
- 879 ft
- Area code
- 763
Otsego’s neighbors
7 towns share a border with Otsego.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otsego | #82 | A | C | — | A | A |
| Elk River | #48 | A | B− | B+ | A | A− |
| Rogers | #95 | A | C | C+ | A | A+ |
| Big Lake Township | #106 | A− | C+ | — | A | A− |
| Dayton | #80 | A | C | A | B+ | A |
| Monticello Township | #52 | A | B | — | A | B+ |
| Albertville | #6 | A+ | B | — | A | A |
| St. Michael | #26 | A+ | B− | — | A | A |
Otsego, Big Lake Township, Monticello Township, Albertville and St. Michael report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Otsego with a neighbor →
Questions about Otsego
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Otsego, MN a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Otsego grades A overall, better than 88% of U.S. towns and #82 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades A for health and A for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Otsego, MN expensive?
That is 4.3 years of the area's median household income ($99,833 across the Minneapolis-St. 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.