Living in River Falls, Wisconsin: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 4.8% above the U.S. average in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington 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 neighborhood21 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 1.2 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 4.7 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town9 public schools: 4 elementary, 1 middle, 2 high schools and 2 other.
A hospital close byRiver Falls Area Hospital is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityMinneapolis is about 32 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 River Falls 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 University of Wisconsin-River Falls 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: $327,600U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 16%Pierce County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,107 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $83,627U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 55%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $4,638 a yearWisconsin: $3,792
Homes built before 1940: 10%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 15%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 104.8U.S. average = 100 (the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington 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 16% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro area, not River Falls 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: 17,9162020: 16,306
Median age: 28.6 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 12%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 17%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 45%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 22%U.S.: 6%
College students: 26%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%); manufacturing (17%); retail (13%)
Unemployment rate: 3%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 22 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 12%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 15%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: River Falls Area Hospital, River Falls, WI, in town. It's a critical access hospital (a small rural hospital with 25 or fewer beds). Medicare gives it 5 of 5 stars.

Nearest general hospital: Lakeview Memorial Hospital, Stillwater, MN, about 16 miles away. 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

9 public schools in River Falls, run by River Falls School District.

Colleges in or next to town: University of Wisconsin-River Falls (5,000 to 9,999 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Wisconsin'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: 78%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: 4°F
July average high: 82°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 7 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 170 a year
Rain and melted snow: 32.8 inches a year
Snow: 50 inches a year
Elevation: 883 feet

Weather stations: River Falls (1 mile away) and Roberts Wwtp (8 miles away, rain and snow). 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

Woodbury, MNCity of 82,00015

Minneapolis, MNMetro of 3.8 million32

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: Woodbury, Minneapolis.

Pierce County is in a metro area of 1 million people or more (USDA rural-urban code 1, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Mississippi National River and Recreation Area11 miles
Lower Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway17 miles
Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway38 miles

Campus life. Check University of Wisconsin-River Falls's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about River Falls's history on Wikipedia.

Know River Falls?

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

Lake St. Croix Beach, MN1,000 people, 8 miles
Roberts, WI2,500 people, 9 miles
Hudson, WI15,000 people, 9 miles
Lakeland, MN1,700 people, 9 miles
Afton, MN3,000 people, 10 miles
Prescott, WI4,600 people, 11 miles

Smaller places

St. Marys Point, MN343 people, 8 miles
Lakeland Shores, MN327 people, 9 miles
Diamond Bluff, WI (unincorporated)192 people, 15 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.