Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,482, settled in 1857.
Plainview is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 5th of 271 graded towns in Minnesota. Crime is low: it reports less per resident than 90% of U.S. towns, its public schools beat 86% of Minnesota towns on state tests and graduation, and a typical home costs about $287K, 3.1 years of the Rochester metro’s $92K median household income. Its lowest mark, a B−, is in incomes. 32% of residents are under 18 in Plainview, against 23% in Minnesota’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns. Only 8 of Minnesota’s 574 towns score higher on walkability. The biggest park or preserve is Eckstein Park, at 24 acres.
Where Plainview beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Plainview-Elgin-Millville PK-3 | PK–3 | 441 |
| Immanuel Lutheran School | PK–8 | 75 |
| Plainview-Elgin-Millville High | 9–12 | 414 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Plainview is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 637 in 1870, 3,483 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 2 maps from 1934 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Plainview, 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 Plainview.
Plainview pairs an A+ overall with homes cheaper than the Minnesota norm, pairs an A for schools with modest home prices and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Minnesota.
Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Plainview is 1.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Plainview | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 8.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its A for schools comes with an A− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $287K.
Its public schools are run by the Plainview-Elgin-Millville school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Plainview-Elgin-Millville High, with 414 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plainview-Elgin-Millville PK-3Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 441 | A |
| Plainview-Elgin-Millville HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 414 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 80% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Plainview for work: only 18% work in town. Since 2013, Plainview has lost 170 jobs, to 995 in 2023. The top destinations are Rochester (45%), Plainview Township (3%) and Lake City (2%).
| Plainview | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 9.7% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.9% | 7.1% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Plainview’s median age is 34 years. 31% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 39% across Minnesota. 15% of Plainview residents are 65 or older.
| Plainview | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 34 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 18% | 18% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.7 points. Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Plainview | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 20.3% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.8% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.1% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.5% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.8% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.7% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.4% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 5.9% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.5% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.9% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.5% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.6% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 18% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.8% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.2% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,500, single groups can be off by several points
January nights average 6.2°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 84% of Minnesota places with climate records; July afternoons average 81.4°.
Plainview has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. About 45 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Plainview | 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
Plainview grades A+ overall with a typical home of about $287K, below the Minnesota typical value; only 39 of the 123 Minnesota towns graded A− or better can say that.
84% of households own their home in Plainview. The typical Plainview home is worth about $287,000, up 3.8% in a year, 18% below the Minnesota typical home.
| Plainview | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $828 a month | $1,199 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 84% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Within Minnesota it is less healthy than 77% of the 271 graded towns: Minnesota sets a high bar.
Plainview beats the Minnesota average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Plainview | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 75% | 79% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 33% |
| What stands out | Plainview | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11.8% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Plainview | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.8% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Eckstein Park | — | 24 |
| 2. Hillcrest Park (undeveloped) | — | 5 |
| 3. Eastwood Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Plainview; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Plainview residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
City in Minnesota, United States
Plainview is a city in Wabasha County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,483 at the 2020 census, up from 3,340 at the 2010 census. The author Jon Hassler was raised in Plainview and some of the places in his writing are based on the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Plainview grades A+ overall, among the top 2% of U.S. towns and #5 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades B for health, A for safety and A for schools.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.