Seppman Mill · National Register of Historic Places
South Bend Township’s story
South Bend Township in pictures
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →
South Bend TownshipMN
A town of 1,550.
6 bordering townsMap →
Charles Chapman House · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,550
2025 Census estimate · −2.2% since 2020
Median home value
$260K
Census ACS
Household income
$88K
median
Median age
42.9
years
Jobs based here
1,395
A job hub
Is South Bend Township a good place to live?
The best of South Bend Township’s subject grades are an A for the outdoors and history; the weakest is a C for walkability. South Bend Township’s average trip to work is 16 minutes, below both Minnesota’s towns (23 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). 14% of the land in South Bend Township is conserved, above both Minnesota’s towns (4.7%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Only 9 of Minnesota’s 574 towns score higher on history. Minneopa State Park, at 1,649 acres with 6.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. South Bend Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes South Bend Township stand out
Where South Bend Township beats most towns.
A job hub
Every workday, about 1,354 people come to South Bend Township for work
Where South Bend Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
1,395jobs based in South Bend Township
5%of working residents work in town
6 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How South Bend Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far South Bend Township is from typical.
Jobs & income$88K median household incomeB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.5 of 20; 0.6% of households have no car; 1.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →HealthMayo Clinic Health System - Mankato 6.3 miles awayB+Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listCOpen →SchoolsBeat 63% of Minnesota districts on tests and graduationBOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $260K, 3.4 years of the Mankato metro’s $76K median household incomeBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to South Bend Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in South Bend Township, and how to reach them.
PowerXcel Energy17.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSouth Bend Township water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet9 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNearest public drop-offRiverbend Recycling Center, 3 miOpenStreetMap
SchoolsMankato Public School DistrictLake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial2 districts serve South Bend Township; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn 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).vote.govWho runs elections hereBlue Earth County ElectionsBlue Earth County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes56001, 5605556001 98% · 56055 2%Census 2020
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 South Bend Township.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
South Bend Township has 1.8 jobs for every working resident, and 1,354 people commute in
Most people who work leave South Bend Township to do it: just 5% work in town. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs here rose by 387, to 1,395. South Bend Township: 5.3% of residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Mankato (35%), North Mankato (13%) and New Ulm (5%).
5%work in town
| South Bend Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 5.3% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.3% | 9.8% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In South Bend Township5%
Mankato35%
North Mankato13%
New Ulm5%
Lake Crystal4%
6 mi
median commute distance
1,395
jobs based in South Bend Township
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 28% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthB+
Residents of South Bend Township are healthier than 70% of U.S. towns
The share of adults in South Bend Township who report frequent mental distress: 18%. CDC measures, 32 in all: South Bend Township beats Minnesota on 2 and trails on 7.
70%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
| South Bend Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 75% | 79% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 25% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 31% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Minnesota
2 better23 too close to call7 worse
| What stands out | South Bend Township | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7% | 8.5% |
| Fewer adults with high cholesterol | 29.8% | 33.4% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 9.6% | 7.1% |
Mayo Clinic Health System - Mankato
In Mankato · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
South Bend Township: four seasons and pleasant summers
Expect July afternoons of 83° and January nights of 6°, with about 39 inches of snow a winter.
39″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter10–26°
Spring35–55°
Summer60–81°
Fall38–58°
Oct 9
typical first frost
Apr 30
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Who lives here
South Bend Township skews older than Minnesota
South Bend Township has lost 2.2% of its people since 2020, down to 1,550 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. People 65 and older are a quarter of residents (17% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (22% statewide). Minnesota has 39% of adults 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more; here it is 31%. Its age of the median resident comes in at 42.9 years.
42.9median age · MN 38.8
| South Bend Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 42.9 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 22% | 23% | 22% |
South Bend TownshipMinnesotaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
16%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma6%
High school30%
Some college21%
Associate’s12%
Bachelor’s20%
Graduate11%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.9 points. Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women.
| South Bend Township | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15.1% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.4% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.4% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.4% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.8% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 6.6% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.3% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.9% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.2% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.3% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.5% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.3% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.9% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,600, single groups can be off by several points
OutdoorsA
For the outdoors, South Bend Township earns an A
Walkers can cover 6.7 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. South Bend Township’s trail network density comes in at 0.4 miles per square mile.
14%conserved
14%
conserved · 1,501 of 10,750 acres
6.7 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Minneopa State Park | 6.5 mi | 1,649 |
| 2. O A Vee Memorial Wildlife Management Area | — | 53 |
| 3. Williams Nature Center | — | 44 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C
South Bend Township faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Of the losses FEMA expects here, 46% come from inland flooding and 21% from cold waves. South Bend Township’s FEMA hazard score stands at 60 of 100. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid in 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2024.
60risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesStrong wind
5
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about South Bend Township
18pages on South Bend Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of South Bend Township
South Central CollegeCommunity college · Public · North Mankato3.3 mi$6,146 in-state tuitionMinnesota State University-MankatoUniversity or college · Public · Mankato4.8 mi$9,572 in-state tuitionBethany Lutheran CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Mankato5.5 mi$31,360 tuition
About 2 of every 100 South Bend Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
Landmarks
4 places in South Bend Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
South Bend Township’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with South Bend Township.
Belgrade TownshipMankato TownshipSkylineMankatoJudson TownshipRapidan TownshipSouth Bend Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Bend Township | — | — | B | — | B | B+ |
| Belgrade Township | — | — | C− | — | B | A− |
| Mankato Township | — | — | C− | — | B | B+ |
| Skyline | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mankato | #239 | C+ | C | C− | B | B+ |
| Judson Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rapidan Township | — | — | B | — | A | B+ |
South Bend Township, Belgrade Township, Mankato Township and Rapidan Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. South Bend Township, Belgrade Township, Mankato Township and Rapidan Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Skyline and Judson Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare South Bend Township with a neighbor →
Questions about South Bend Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is South Bend Township, MN expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.