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Mankato, Minnesota

Mankato is a college town of about 47,000 people in Blue Earth County, Minnesota. It's the county seat. It has grown about 4% since 2020. A typical home costs about 3.9 years of the typical household's income, compared with 4.1 across the U.S. The nearest metro area of about a million people or more, Minneapolis, is about 65 miles away as the crow flies.

College townCounty seat

Population
46,529
up 4.3% since 2020
Typical home, 2020-24
$261,700
Blue Earth County prices up 14% since 2022
Household income
$66,873
U.S.: $80,734
Prices, Mankato area
91
U.S. average = 100
Emergency room
In town
Mayo Clinic Health System - Mankato
To Minneapolis
65 mi
straight line

The book's checklist

  • Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 9% below the U.S. average in the Mankato metro area.
  • More house for the moneyA typical home costs 3.9 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
  • A safer neighborhood136 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 2.9 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 21.6 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
  • Schools in town15 public schools: 9 elementary, 1 middle, 4 high schools and 1 other.
  • A hospital close byMayo Clinic Health System - Mankato is in town and has an emergency room.
  • Within reach of a big cityMinneapolis is about 65 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Mankato meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

College town. About 1 in 4 residents is a college student, with Minnesota State University-Mankato and Bethany Lutheran College in town. Concerts, sports and good food all year, and a big employer that rarely closes. Expect higher home prices close to campus.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024
$261,700U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then
Up 14%Blue Earth County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities
$1,132 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income
$66,873U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them
50%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill
$2,551 a yearMinnesota: $3,357
Homes built before 1940
15%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010
17%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes
1%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices
91U.S. average = 100 (the Mankato metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 14% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Mankato metro area, not Mankato alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate
46,5292020: 44,634
Median age
26.5 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older
13%U.S.: 17%
Under 18
17%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
35%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year
13%U.S.: 6%
College students
23%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work
Schools, health care and social services (31%); retail (16%); manufacturing (15%)
Unemployment rate
6%U.S.: 5%
Average commute
14 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home
8%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line
21%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Mayo Clinic Health System - Mankato, Mankato, MN, in town. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 5 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

15 public schools in Mankato, run by Mankato Public School District and Kato Public Charter School.

Colleges in or next to town: Minnesota State University-Mankato (10,000 to 19,999 students); South Central College (1,000 to 4,999 students); Bethany Lutheran College (under 1,000 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Minnesota's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet
75%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription
88%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low
6°F
July average high
82°F
Days 90°F or hotter
10 a year
Nights at or below freezing
161 a year
Rain and melted snow
33.9 inches a year
Snow
39 inches a year
Elevation
1,007 feet

Weather station: Mankato (3 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Lakeville, Minneapolis.

Blue Earth County is in a metro area of fewer than 250,000 people (USDA rural-urban code 3, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

17 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Lincoln Park Residential Historic District, Minneopa State Park WPA/Rustic Style Historic Resources and the North Front Street Commercial District.

Campus life. Check Minnesota State University-Mankato's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Mankato's history on Wikipedia.

Know Mankato?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Smaller places

  • Skyline, MN283 people, 4 miles
  • St. Clair, MN707 people, 8 miles
  • Kasota, MN728 people, 8 miles
  • Good Thunder, MN536 people, 12 miles
  • Cleveland, MN772 people, 13 miles
  • Garden City, MN (unincorporated)194 people, 13 miles
  • Pemberton, MN219 people, 15 miles
  • Elysian, MN765 people, 15 miles

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
  2. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
  3. Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions)
  4. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
  6. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
  7. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal)
  8. National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024
  9. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
  10. U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
  11. National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
  12. National Park Service, park unit boundaries
  13. USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
  14. U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer files and 2020 urban areas

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.