City · Faribault County, Minnesota

Blue Earth, Minnesota

Blue Earth is a city in Faribault County, Minnesota. It has 3,165 residents. Blue Earth, Minnesota has a quality-of-life score of 77 out of 100 (high), ranking #3,657 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Minnesota it ranks #271 of 364 cities and towns. It ranks best on social associations (high), hospital quality rating (high) and property crime rate (low). It ranks worst on job growth (low), traffic deaths (high) and distance to an Amtrak station (high).

77High

Quality-of-life score: #3,657 of 15,651 cities and towns
Minnesota: #271 of 364 in MN
Population: 3,165 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 953.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 2706688

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 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.

Safety78#3,392/15,637
Economy45#8,574/15,631
Housing67#4,976/14,977
Health61#6,159/15,609
Healthcare44#8,777/15,650
Environment93#1,117/15,453
Education79#3,228/15,649
Infrastructure34#10,407/15,650
Community92#1,317/15,651
Leisure & amenities59#6,353/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Blue Earth, Minnesota ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Faribault 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

Social associations · high22.4 /10k
99/100Minnesota 12.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFaribault County value
Hospital quality rating · high5.0
98/100Minnesota 3.8United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesFaribault County value
Property crime rate · low271 /100k
98/100Minnesota 1,412 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationFaribault County value
Average commute time · low13.0 min
98/100Minnesota 22.7 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Grocery stores · high3.6 /10k
97/100Minnesota 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFaribault County value
Preventable hospital stays · low1,481 /100k
97/100Minnesota 2,419 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFaribault County value

Weaknesses

Job growth · low-2.4%
10/100Minnesota -0.3%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataFaribault County value
Traffic deaths · high25.9 /100k
11/100Minnesota 7.7 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataFaribault County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high93 mi
11/100Minnesota 32 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauFaribault County value
Mental health providers · low79 /100k
11/100Minnesota 383 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFaribault County value
Mental health care shortage · high18.0
11/100Minnesota 8.0United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationFaribault County value
Broadband subscriptions · low83.8%
12/100Minnesota 91.6%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002

Trends

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

New homes permittedWorsening
0.6 /1k (2021) → 0.3 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−49%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Median household incomeImproving
$46,250 (2015-2019) → $66,771 (2020-2024)
+44%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Child poverty rateImproving
19.4% (2015-2019) → 10.9% (2020-2024)
−8.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
75.4% (2015-2019) → 83.8% (2020-2024)
+8.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
16.6% (2015-2019) → 23.6% (2020-2024)
+7.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
49.9% (2015-2019) → 44.7% (2020-2024)
−5.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

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, Blue Earth, Minnesota improved on 3 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 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

Household income+44%$46,250 → $66,771
Bachelor's++7.1 points16.6% → 23.6%
Broadband+8.5 points75.4% → 83.8%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Blue Earth, Minnesota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	11.2 min2015-2019	13.0 min2020-2024	+1.8 min	Within the margin of error	28%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.6%2015-2019	23.6%2020-2024	+7.1 points	Improved	80%
Broadband subscriptions	75.4%2015-2019	83.8%2020-2024	+8.5 points	Improved	52%
Child poverty rate	19.4%2015-2019	10.9%2020-2024	−8.5 points	Within the margin of error	79%
Effective property tax rate	1.10%2015-2019	1.15%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	11%
High school diploma or higher	93.6%2015-2019	89.8%2020-2024	−3.7 points	Within the margin of error	9%
Home price to income ratio	1.8×2015-2019	2.2×2020-2024	+0.4×	Within the margin of error	57%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4102015-2019	0.4152020-2024	+0.005	Within the margin of error	46%
Median household income	$46,2502015-2019	$66,7712020-2024	+44%	Improved	79%
Poverty rate	11.4%2015-2019	10.8%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	50%
Rent as share of income	29.8%2015-2019	26.8%2020-2024	−3 points	Within the margin of error	74%
Rent-burdened households	49.9%2015-2019	44.7%2020-2024	−5.2 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.5%2015-2019	6.7%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	43%

“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 Blue Earth, Minnesota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Blue Earth, 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, Blue Earth, Minnesota itself moved +1 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

3,165 residents (±20)

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

1,294 households (±103)

Blue Earth, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $25k15%†199
$25k–50k17%†224
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,294 households (±103)

Blue Earth, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Own70%900
Rent30%394

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

1,486 workers (±144)

Blue Earth, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Drive alone73%1,082
Carpool9.0%†134
Public transit0.7%†

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 Faribault County, the county holding most of Blue Earth's residents.

Faribault County has 379 employer establishments, 272 for every 10,000 residents (1.10× the US rate of 248; 1.01× Minnesota's), with 3,758 paid employees at an average annual pay of $48,758. The Census Bureau also counts 984 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 379; 984 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 272; US 248 · Minnesota 268
Paid employees: 3,758
Average annual pay: $48,758; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	28	20.1	1.30×More than typical	153	$56,549	104
Religious organizations	26	18.7	3.36×More than typical	111	$13,874	—
Ambulatory health care services	24	17.2	0.83×About typical	145	$48,414	26
Restaurants and other eating places	22	15.8	0.86×About typical	229	$15,441	3
Truck transportation	19	13.6	2.70×More than typical	80	$59,300	94
Offices of other health practitioners	14	10	1.65×More than typical	70	$30,171	15
Full-service restaurants	13	9.3	1.21×About typical	97	$13,928	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	12	8.6	1.71×More than typical	42	$54,119	32
Building equipment contractors	11	7.9	1.31×More than typical	96	$55,979	17
Insurance agencies and brokerages	11	7.9	1.80×More than typical	28	$81,964	19
Construction of buildings	10	7.2	0.95×About typical	22	$82,636	32
Banks and credit unions	9	6.5	2.00×Too few to compare	112	$62,500	—

Rank places for an industry Open Faribault County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 13,936 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Blue Earth, Minnesota: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0; −100% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

41.1KFY2017
86.3KFY2018
66.6KFY2019
15.4KFY2020
34.7KFY2021
124KFY2022
177.4KFY2023
312.2KFY2024

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 Blue Earth, Minnesota, so they do not add up across cities.

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

See federal money in Faribault 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.

Blue Earth, 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.

Faribault County86100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Faribault 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/2706688

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends