Photo: Vas Littlecrow Wojtanowicz · Public domainLiving in Rice, MN: what to set up and who to call
Tap water in Rice comes from the Rice water system, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 22% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result below detection. The closest ER is Centracare - St. Cloud Hospital, 13.1 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Rice, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Rice.
Power comes from Minnesota Power
Minnesota Power (ALLETE, Inc.), an investor-owned utility, serves 72.8% of Rice residents. Its homes paid an average of 15.9¢ per kWh in 2025, about $107 a month (its average across Minnesota).
Start or move service: mnpower.com · (218) 722-2625
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Rice water system
The Rice water system supplies almost all of Rice. It draws ground water and serves 2,187 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2024–Dec 2026, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. MN1050002.
4 home internet providers serve Rice
100% of 788 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benton Cooperative Telephone Company | Fiber | 100% | 250/250 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 92% | 300/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 89% | 100/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 88% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Rice’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Rice.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Rice is in Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools.
BSchool gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Oct 2022; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Rice is in ZIP code 56367
ZIP codes where Rice residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Rice | ZIP’s residents in Rice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56367 | Rice, MN | 100% | 28% |
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Rice
Who supplies Rice’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Rice water system (EPA ID MN1050002). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2024–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Rice?
Minnesota Power (ALLETE, Inc.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 15.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Rice?
Benton Cooperative Telephone Company, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Rice?
56367. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Rice in?
Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools.
How do I register to vote in Rice?
In Minnesota you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 21 days before). Elections here are run by the Benton County Auditor-Treasurer's Office. Check your registration at mnvotes.sos.state.mn.us.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.