Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
St. It grades A− overall, ranked 110th of 271 in Minnesota. On the plus side, the median household earns $111K. St. Francis’ average trip to work is 32 minutes, where Minnesota’s towns sit at 23 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. St. Francis has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them H. G. Leathers House and Riverside Hotel. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 70% of U.S. towns.
Where St. Francis beats most towns.
7,218 counted in 2010 and 8,142 in 2020; an estimated 8,635 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 6.1% since 2020, after 12.8% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far St. Francis is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 153 in 1860, 8,142 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1883 and 2 maps from 1916 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in St. Francis, 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 St. Francis.
St. Francis trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, has seen reported crime fall by a third or more and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Minnesota.
The average commute for its 4,394 working residents takes 32.3 minutes, against 22.7 across Minnesota.
Most working residents leave St. Francis for work: only 6% work in town. The top destinations are Minneapolis (9%), Anoka (6%) and Coon Rapids (6%).
| St. Francis | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $111,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.3% | 9.9% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.1% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the St. Francis Area Schools. The largest public high school is St. Francis High, with 1,139 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Francis MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 890 | C |
| St. Francis HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,139 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 67 to 47 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 5 reported in 2025, 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
St. Francis’ property crime rate is 4.9 per 1,000 residents.
| St. Francis | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.9 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
The July high in St. Francis is 82°F. Francis has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 66% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Within Minnesota it is less healthy than 75% of the 271 graded towns: Minnesota sets a high bar. Against the 6,976 U.S. towns with household incomes like St. Francis’s, it is less healthy than 73%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
20% of adults binge drink in St. Francis. Among 271 Minnesota towns, just 3 have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than St. Francis. 28% of adults have high blood pressure in St. Francis.
| St. Francis | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 25% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | St. Francis | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.8% | 8.5% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5% | 5.9% |
| More smokers | 16.7% | 13.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
3.3 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Bethel Wildlife Management Area, at 597 acres.
| St. Francis | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.5% | 4.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rum River North County Park | 0.8 mi | 74 |
| 2. Bethel Wildlife Management Area | — | 597 |
| 3. Carl E. Bonnell Wildlife Management Area | — | 37 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Homes are within reach (about $351K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles.
The typical St. 86% of St. Francis households own their home. Francis home is worth about $351,000, up 1.1% in a year, close to the Minnesota typical home.
| St. Francis | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 86% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,287 a month | $1,192 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around St. Francis. Close and well known come first.
Big draw30 mi Stadium & arenaU.S. Bank Stadium
29 mi Stadium & arenaTarget Field
30 mi Stadium & arenaHuntington Bank Stadium
34 mi Stadium & arenaGrand Casino Arena
33 mi LakeLake Minnetonka
32 mi LakeBde Maka SkaU.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 · Bde Maka Ska: Tyler Vigen, CC BY-SA 4.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of St. Francis
About 5 of every 100 St. Francis residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Minnesota.
Where St. Francis’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in St. Francis on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in St. Francis.
City in Minnesota, United States
St. Francis is a city in Anoka and Isanti counties, Minnesota, United States. The population was 8,142 at the 2020 census. Minnesota State Highway 47 serves as a main route in the city. Other routes include Ambassador Boulevard.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with St. Francis.
Livonia Township next door grades higher for schools (A to St. Francis’s B) and lower for cost of living (C+ to B+).
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Francis | #110 | A− | B+ | B+ | B | B |
| Athens Township | — | — | B | — | B− | B+ |
| Stanford Township | — | — | C | — | B | B+ |
| Oak Grove | #181 | B | C+ | — | B | A− |
| Bethel | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nowthen | #55 | A | C+ | — | A− | A− |
| East Bethel | #160 | B+ | B− | — | B | A− |
| Livonia Township | #65 | A | C+ | — | A | B+ |
Athens Township and Stanford Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Athens Township, Stanford Township, Oak Grove, Nowthen, East Bethel and Livonia Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Bethel isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare St. Francis with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. St. Francis grades A− overall, better than 82% of U.S. towns and #110 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades B for health, B+ for safety and B for schools.
Not for the area. 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 B+.
St. 3 notable people were born here, including Sean Sherk and Magdalyn Ewen.
