Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Wabasha gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $292K for a typical one, or 3.2 years of the Rochester metro’s $92K median household income. It grades B+ overall, ranked 178th of 271 in Minnesota. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 89% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 10 places on the National Register. 41% of working residents work locally in Wabasha, above both the Minnesota town median (9.7%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). On history, just 2 of Minnesota’s 574 towns do better.
Where Wabasha beats most towns.
Grace Memorial Episcopal Church
Its founding year, 1842, is the earliest of any Minnesota town we grade.
Census counts: 894 in 1860, 2,559 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1818 and 3 maps from 1932 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 Wabasha is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wabasha, 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 Wabasha.
Wabasha draws workers from Greenfield Township and beyond, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and gets more snow than most of the country, though not than most of Minnesota.
1,672 jobs are based in Wabasha, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
The median household income in Wabasha is $65,000. The top destinations are Rochester (13%), Lake City (8%) and Winona (5%). The average trip to work in Wabasha is 21 minutes.
| Wabasha | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $65,000 | $91,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 10% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Wabasha-Kellogg School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wabasha-Kellogg ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 205 | B+ |
| Wabasha-Kellogg SecondaryLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 251 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
The Wabasha weather station records that 40 inches of snow fall in a normal winter: more than most of the country, but less than 85% of Minnesota places with climate records. January nights average 6.8°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 96% of Minnesota places with climate records; July afternoons average 81.9°.
Wabasha has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Wabasha’s January low is 7°F.
| Wabasha | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 7°F | 6°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Wabasha | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.9% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wabasha County Fairgrounds | — | 17 |
| 2. Beach Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Home values rose 31% in five years, to about $292K, against 14% across Minnesota.
Typical home values rose 6% in the year to September 2026.
| Wabasha | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $757 a month | $1,199 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 75% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 9,834 U.S. towns with household incomes like Wabasha’s, it is healthier than 82%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income. Within Minnesota it is less healthy than 73% of the 271 graded towns: Minnesota sets a high bar.
15% of adults binge drink in Wabasha. Wabasha beats the Minnesota average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 29% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Wabasha.
| Wabasha | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | Wabasha | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.9% | 9.3% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.5% | 5.7% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.3% | 5.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 44 to 24 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 59% of U.S. communities. Since 1986, 56 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Wabasha.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Wabasha; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Wabasha residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
Where Wabasha’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
10 places in Wabasha on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Wabasha.
City in Minnesota, United States
Wabasha is a city and the county seat of Wabasha County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,559 at the time of the 2020 census. It is on the Mississippi River, near its confluence with the Zumbro River.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Wabasha.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wabasha | #178 | B+ | A− | C+ | C+ | B |
| Pepin Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Greenfield Township | — | — | A | — | C+ | B |
Greenfield Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Greenfield Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Pepin Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Wabasha with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Wabasha grades B+ overall, better than 66% of U.S. towns and #178 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades B for health, C+ for safety and C+ 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−.
5 notable people were born here, including Larry Brandenburg and John R. Foley.
