Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,072, settled in 1856. 65% more nonprofits per person than the typical Minnesota town.
Few places in the country grade higher. Zumbrota earns an A+, 12th among Minnesota's 271 graded towns. It reports less crime per resident than 85% of U.S. towns, its schools outperform 85% of the state's, and residents are healthier than 77% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its lowest mark, a B+, is in cost of living. Only 12 of Minnesota’s 572 towns score higher on civic life. Zumbrota’s average trip to work is 32 minutes, above both Minnesota’s towns (23 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Zumbrota is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns.
Where Zumbrota beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Zumbrota-Mazeppa Primary School | PK–2 | 298 |
| Christ Lutheran School | K–8 | 49 |
| Zumbrota-Mazeppa Middle School | 7–8 | 194 |
3,252 counted in 2010 and 3,726 in 2020; an estimated 4,072 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 9.3% since 2020, after 14.6% 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 Zumbrota is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 797 in 1880, 3,726 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1869 and 2 maps from 1968 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Zumbrota, 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 Zumbrota.
Zumbrota pairs an A+ overall with homes cheaper than the Minnesota norm, pairs an A for schools with modest home prices and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more.
Reported crimes fell from 26 to 15 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 residents.
Zumbrota’s property crime rate is 3.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Zumbrota | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.4 per 1,000 residents | 8.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its A for schools comes with a B+ for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $330K.
Its public schools are run by the Zumbrota-Mazeppa School District. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Zumbrota-Mazeppa Senior High, with 401 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zumbrota-Mazeppa Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 298 | – |
| Zumbrota-Mazeppa Senior HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 401 | A− |
| Zumbrota-Mazeppa Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 194 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
28% of Zumbrota adults feel lonely. Zumbrota beats the Minnesota average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 19% of Zumbrota adults binge drink.
| Zumbrota | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 75% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 36% |
| What stands out | Zumbrota | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.9% | 8.9% |
| More adults seeing a dentist | 73.4% | 67.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1.4 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Covered Bridge Park, at 62 acres.
| Zumbrota | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3.2% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Covered Bridge Park | — | 62 |
| 2. East Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Zumbrota has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Zumbrota is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 2,066 working residents takes 32 minutes, against 22.7 across Minnesota. Jobs based here grew from 1,023 in 2013 to 1,681.
Most working residents leave Zumbrota for work: only 14% work in town. Since 2013, Zumbrota has added 658 jobs, to 1,681 in 2023. The top destinations are Rochester (31%), Wanamingo (4%) and Red Wing (4%).
| Zumbrota | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 9.7% | 8% |
| Median household income | $78,000 | $91,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.2% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
People 65 and older are 24% of residents (17% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (22% statewide). Zumbrota has grown 9.3% since 2020, to 4,072 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 20% of residents are under 18 in Zumbrota.
| Zumbrota | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 24% | 17% | 18% |
| Median age | 43.8 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 20% | 23% | 22% |
55% women, 45% men
About 81 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.9 points). Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Zumbrota | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.1% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.2% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.8% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.6% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.7% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.9% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.1% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.2% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.4% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.1% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.8% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.6% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.8% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.6% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.1% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,100, single groups can be off by several points
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 61% of U.S. communities. Since 1998, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Zumbrota.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Zumbrota grades A+ overall with a typical home of about $330K, below the Minnesota typical value; only 39 of the 123 Minnesota towns graded A− or better can say that. Homes are within reach (about $330K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles.
The typical Zumbrota home is worth about $330,000, up 2.5% in a year, 6% below the Minnesota typical home.
| Zumbrota | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $834 a month | $1,199 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 47% | 48% | 48% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Zumbrota; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Zumbrota residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
2 places in Zumbrota on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Zumbrota.
City in Minnesota, United States
Zumbrota is a city in Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States, along the North Fork of the Zumbro River. The population was 3,726 at the 2020 census. It promotes itself as "the only Zumbrota in the world."
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Zumbrota.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zumbrota · Zumbrota Township | #12 | A+ | B+ | A | A | A− |
| Minneola Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pine Island Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Roscoe Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Minneola Township, Pine Island Township and Roscoe Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Zumbrota Township and Zumbrota are one community, graded once. Compare Zumbrota with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Zumbrota grades A+ overall, among the top 2% of U.S. towns and #12 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades A− for health, A for safety and A for schools.
Not for the area. That is 3.9 years of the area's median household income ($84,171 across the Red Wing, MN 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+.
4 notable people were born here, including C. C. Beck and Sydney Anderson.
