Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,052.
The best of Waconia Township’s subject grades are an A for schools and health and an A− for incomes; the weakest is a C− for cost of living. On cost of living, just 30 of Minnesota’s 573 towns do worse. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 69% of U.S. towns. Only 6 of the 274 Minnesota towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Waconia Township. Only 3 of Minnesota’s 574 towns score higher on history. The biggest park or preserve is Schneewind Wildlife Management Area, at 211 acres. Waconia Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Waconia Township beats most towns.
1,228 counted in 2010 and 1,068 in 2020; an estimated 1,052 in 2025.
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 Waconia Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 218 in 1880, 13,033 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1907 and 3 maps from 1957 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Waconia Township, 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 Waconia Township.
Waconia Township beats the Minnesota average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 27% of Waconia Township adults sleep under 7 hours, below both the Minnesota town median (30%) and the median of U.S. towns (36%). 20% of Waconia Township adults binge drink.
| Waconia Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 31% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Waconia Township | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.3% | 11.4% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.7% | 7.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Waconia Township for work: only 1% work in town. Waconia Township’s median household income is $122,000, where Minnesota’s towns sit at $90,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000. The average trip to work in Waconia Township is 30 minutes.
| Waconia Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $122,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 9.5% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 9% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 27% of residents (17% statewide). Waconia Township’s median age is 48 years. 41% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 39% across Minnesota.
| Waconia Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 27% | 18% | 18% |
| Median age | 48 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 33% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5 points. Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Waconia Township | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.1% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.7% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 3.6% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.2% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.7% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 19.5% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.2% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.6% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.5% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 16% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 16.1% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 31.3% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.4% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,100, single groups can be off by several points
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Waconia Township has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 5° and about 52 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Waconia Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.1% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Coney Island | 0.7 mi | 35 |
| 2. Schneewind Wildlife Management Area | — | 211 |
| 3. Patterson Lake Wildlife Management Area | — | 21 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Waconia Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw30 mi Stadium & arenaU.S. Bank Stadium
29 mi Stadium & arenaTarget Field
14 mi LakeLake Minnetonka
31 mi Stadium & arenaHuntington Bank Stadium
20 mi Theme parkValleyfair
37 mi Stadium & arenaGrand Casino ArenaU.S. Bank Stadium: Darb02, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Target Field: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Minnetonka: Dan, CC BY 2.0 · Huntington Bank Stadium: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Valleyfair: https://www.flickr.com/photos/clumpinglitter/, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Grand Casino Arena: AlexiusHoratius, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Waconia Township
About 3 of every 100 Waconia Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
City in Minnesota, United States
Waconia ( wə-KOHN-yə or wə-KOH-nee-ə) is a city in Carver County, Minnesota, United States. Waconia attracts visitors to nearby Lake Waconia. The population was 13,033 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes. 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 C−.
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