Living in Northfield, Minnesota: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 14.1% below the U.S. average in the parts of Minnesota outside metro areas.
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 neighborhood37 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 1.7 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 9.1 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town12 public schools: 6 elementary, 2 middle, 3 high schools and 1 other.
A hospital close byNorthfield Hospital is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityMinneapolis is about 35 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 Northfield 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 28% of residents are college students, with St Olaf College and Carleton 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: $329,400U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 13%Rice County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,103 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $84,895U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 69%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $4,522 a yearMinnesota: $3,357
Homes built before 1940: 15%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 11%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 85.9U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Minnesota outside metro areas)

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 13% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Minnesota outside metro areas, not Northfield 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: 21,9922020: 20,826
Median age: 28.2 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 16%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 17%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 53%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 15%U.S.: 6%
College students: 28%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 (42%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (13%); manufacturing (11%)
Unemployment rate: 5%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 18 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 16%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 9%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Northfield Hospital, Northfield, MN, in town. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 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

12 public schools in Northfield, run by Northfield Public School District and Arcadia Charter School.

Colleges in or next to town: St Olaf College (1,000 to 4,999 students); Carleton College (1,000 to 4,999 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: 79%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 94%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: 5°F
July average high: 82°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 9 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 168 a year
Rain and melted snow: 35.5 inches a year
Snow: 43 inches a year
Elevation: 936 feet

Weather station: Faribault (11 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

Lakeville, MNCity of 79,00016

Minneapolis, MNMetro of 3.8 million35

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.

Rice County is outside any metro area, with 20,000 or more people in its towns, next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 4, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

18 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the O. E. Rolvaag House, the Northfield Commercial Historic District and Northfield Commercial Historic District (Boundary Decrease). One is a National Historic Landmark, the country's highest honor for a historic place.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Mississippi National River and Recreation Area22 miles
Lower Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway47 miles

Campus life. Check St Olaf College's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Northfield's history on Wikipedia.

Know Northfield?

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

Dundas, MN1,800 people, 3 miles
Elko New Market, MN5,300 people, 11 miles
Faribault, MN25,000 people, 12 miles
Lonsdale, MN5,100 people, 13 miles
Cannon Falls, MN4,200 people, 14 miles
Kenyon, MN1,900 people, 16 miles

Smaller places

Dennison, MN220 people, 8 miles
Randolph, MN460 people, 9 miles
Nerstrand, MN274 people, 9 miles
Hampton, MN714 people, 13 miles

Sources

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.