Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Owatonna is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B+ overall, 177th of 271 graded towns in Minnesota, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 68% of the country. It also does better than most on incomes: the median household earns $81K. A typical home there costs about $295K, 3.5 years of the Owatonna area’s $84K median household income. 56% of working residents work locally in Owatonna, above both Minnesota’s towns (9.7%) and U.S. towns (8%). Owatonna has 10 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them National Farmers' Bank and Owatonna Free Public Library.
Where Owatonna beats most towns.
National Farmers' Bank is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 609 in 1860, 26,420 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1870 and 2 maps from 1962 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Owatonna is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Owatonna, 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 Owatonna.
Owatonna is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Minnesota and has colder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of Minnesota; it also has many renters stretched by housing costs.
16 miles of trail in 22 parks and preserves. The trail density in Owatonna is 1.1 miles per square mile. Kaplans Woods Regional Park, at 156 acres with 9.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Owatonna | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.4% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kaplans Woods Regional Park | 9.7 mi | 156 |
| 2. Leo Rudolph Nature Reserve | 1.6 mi | 66 |
| 3. Fairgrounds Park | — | 72 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Owatonna Public School District. Three of its 20 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owatonna Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,015 | C |
| Owatonna Senior HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,468 | A− |
| Lincoln ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 505 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Within Minnesota it is less healthy than 59% of the 271 graded towns: Minnesota sets a high bar.
74% of Owatonna adults had a checkup this year. Owatonna beats the Minnesota average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 30% of Owatonna adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Owatonna | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 75% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Owatonna | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 12.4% | 8.9% |
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 81.2°.
Owatonna has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Owatonna’s January low is 6°F. About 44 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Owatonna | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 6°F | 6°F | 22°F |
| July high | 81°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Since 2013, Owatonna has lost 2,126 jobs, to 15,142 in 2023. 8.3% of workers work from home in Owatonna. The top destinations are Faribault (7%), Rochester (4%) and Waseca (2%).
| Owatonna | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 8.3% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 9.2% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
64.9% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.1% across Minnesota.
The typical Owatonna home is worth about $295,000, up 1.8% in a year, 15% below the Minnesota typical home.
| Owatonna | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,067 a month | $1,199 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 75% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 64 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Owatonna.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Owatonna; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Owatonna residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
10 places in Owatonna on the National Register of Historic Places.
24 notable people were born in Owatonna.
City in Minnesota, United States
Owatonna () is a city in and the county seat of Steele County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 26,420 at the 2020 census. Owatonna is home to the Steele County Fairgrounds, which hosts the Steele County Free Fair in August. Interstate 35 and U.S. Highways 14 and 218 are three of the main routes in the city.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Owatonna.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owatonna · Owatonna Township | #177 | B+ | B− | B | B− | B+ |
| Clinton Falls Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Clinton Falls Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Owatonna Township and Owatonna are one community, graded once. Compare Owatonna with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Owatonna grades B+ overall, better than 66% of U.S. towns and #177 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades B+ 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−.
24 notable people were born here, including E. G. Marshall and Arthur Fry.
