City · Mower County, Minnesota

Austin, Minnesota

Austin is a city in Mower County, Minnesota, part of the Austin, MN metro area. It has 26,358 residents. Austin, Minnesota has a quality-of-life score of 64 out of 100 (high), ranking #5,706 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Minnesota it ranks #333 of 364 cities and towns. It ranks best on drought exposure (low), average commute time (low) and grocery stores (high). It ranks worst on distance to an emergency room (high), new business applications (low) and pharmacies (low).

64High

Quality-of-life score: #5,706 of 15,651 cities and towns
Minnesota: #333 of 364 in MN
Population: 26,358 (2020-2024)
Land area: 13 mi²
Density: 1,962.2 /mi²
FIPS code: 2702908

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety70#4,633/15,637
Economy35#10,201/15,631
Housing74#3,823/14,977
Health50#7,853/15,609
Healthcare35#10,227/15,650
Environment93#1,044/15,453
Education34#10,256/15,649
Infrastructure42#9,079/15,650
Community87#2,063/15,651
Leisure & amenities59#6,438/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Austin, Minnesota ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Mower County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Drought exposure · low0%
95/100Minnesota 36%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAMower County value
Average commute time · low18.0 min
93/100Minnesota 22.7 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Grocery stores · high2.7 /10k
92/100Minnesota 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMower County value
Mammography screening · high55.0%
91/100Minnesota 54.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMower County value
Mental health care shortage · low0.0
91/100Minnesota 8.0United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationMower County value
Hot days · low5 days
87/100Minnesota 5 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationMower County value

Weaknesses

Distance to an emergency room · high19.2 mi
3/100Minnesota 6.2 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesMower County value
New business applications · low7.5 /1k
4/100Minnesota 12.7 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauMower County value
Pharmacies · low1.0 /10k
13/100Minnesota 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMower County value
Distance to an airport · high86 mi
15/100Minnesota 43 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauMower County value
Job growth · low-1.6%
17/100Minnesota -0.3%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataMower County value
Natural hazard risk · high79.6
19/100Minnesota 27.82025Federal Emergency Management AgencyMower County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
79.7% (2015-2019) → 88.0% (2020-2024)
+8.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$48,127 (2015-2019) → $68,057 (2020-2024)
+41%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
New homes permittedImproving
0.5 /1k (2021) → 0.6 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+20%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Average commute timeWorsening
15.1 min (2015-2019) → 18.0 min (2020-2024)
+20%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Income inequality (Gini index)Improving
0.459 (2015-2019) → 0.388 (2020-2024)
−15%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483
Poverty rateImproving
15.5% (2015-2019) → 12.5% (2020-2024)
−3 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Austin, Minnesota improved on 3 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 11 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Inequality−0.0710.459 → 0.388
Household income+41%$48,127 → $68,057
Broadband+8.3 points79.7% → 88.0%

Declined1

Commute+3.0 min15.1 min → 18.0 min

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Austin, Minnesota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	15.1 min2015-2019	18.0 min2020-2024	+3.0 min	Declined	20%
Bachelor's degree or higher	23.1%2015-2019	23.6%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Broadband subscriptions	79.7%2015-2019	88.0%2020-2024	+8.3 points	Improved	51%
Child poverty rate	20.6%2015-2019	19.6%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	50%
Effective property tax rate	1.02%2015-2019	1.01%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	18%
High school diploma or higher	84.1%2015-2019	84.8%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Home price to income ratio	2.2×2015-2019	2.4×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	70%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4592015-2019	0.3882020-2024	−0.071	Improved	91%
Median household income	$48,1272015-2019	$68,0572020-2024	+41%	Improved	76%
Poverty rate	15.5%2015-2019	12.5%2020-2024	−3 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Public transit commuters	2.0%2015-2019	1.6%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	21%
Rent as share of income	27.9%2015-2019	27.9%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Rent-burdened households	42.4%2015-2019	44.5%2020-2024	+2 points	Within the margin of error	48%
Unemployment rate	4.5%2015-2019	4.5%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.5%2015-2019	10.4%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	36%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Austin, Minnesota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Austin, Minnesota in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Austin, Minnesota itself moved +2.3 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

26,358 residents (±28)

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

10,110 households (±235)

Austin, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $25k15%1,479
$25k–50k21%2,110
$50k–75k21%2,165

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

10,110 households (±235)

Austin, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Own72%7,230
Rent28%2,880

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+5.2 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

11,999 workers (±456)

Austin, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Drive alone75%9,028
Carpool13%1,618
Public transit1.6%†189

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Austin, MN

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Mower County, the county holding most of Austin's residents.

Mower County has 800 employer establishments, 199 for every 10,000 residents (0.80× the US rate of 248; 0.74× Minnesota's), with 13,890 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,516. The Census Bureau also counts 2,112 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 800; 2,112 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 199; US 248 · Minnesota 268
Paid employees: 13,890
Average annual pay: $52,516; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Mower County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	60	14.9	0.96×About typical	343	$81,297	155
Restaurants and other eating places	48	11.9	0.65×Fewer than typical	822	$19,055	—
Religious organizations	38	9.5	1.70×More than typical	188	$17,793	—
Ambulatory health care services	31	7.7	0.37×Fewer than typical	332	$42,377	30
Building equipment contractors	29	7.2	1.20×About typical	263	$83,308	12
Truck transportation	28	7	1.38×More than typical	506	$61,840	127
Automotive repair and maintenance	24	6	1.19×About typical	98	$45,908	63
Gasoline stations	24	6	1.84×More than typical	277	$22,643	3
Full-service restaurants	23	5.7	0.74×Fewer than typical	359	$19,643	—
Limited-service restaurants	23	5.7	0.71×Fewer than typical	449	$18,715	—
Banks and credit unions	20	5	1.54×More than typical	143	$55,965	—
Lessors of real estate	18	4.5	0.36×Fewer than typical	128	$31,625	182

Rank places for an industry Open Mower County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 40,207 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $91.2K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Austin, Minnesota: $3.46 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $91.2K; −16% vs FY2025
Per resident: $3.46; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of Veterans Affairs$92.3K100%

Top recipients

ST. MARK'S LUTHERAN HOME, INC$92.3K100%
MAYO CLINIC HEALTH SYSTEM-SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA REGION-$31.570.0%
ELECTRONIC METROLOGY LABORATORY, LLC-$1,1090.0%

Spending by fiscal year

97.4KFY2017
67.7KFY2018
63.6KFY2019
89.5KFY2020
49.9KFY2021
38.1KFY2022
38.7KFY2023
44.3K

Top industries (NAICS)

Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) · 6231$92.3K100%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Austin, Minnesota, so they do not add up across cities.

Austin, Minnesota's figures are part of those of Mower County, MN ($974.1K in FY2026), never added to them: 9.4% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Austin is mostly in Mower County.

See federal money in Mower County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Austin, Minnesota is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Brad FinstadR-MN-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 0.9%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Mower County82100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Austin, MN78

Other cities and towns in Mower County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2702908

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends