City · Wright County, Minnesota

Cokato, Minnesota

Cokato is a city in Wright County, Minnesota, part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area. It has 2,782 residents. Cokato, Minnesota has a quality-of-life score of 74 out of 100 (high), ranking #3,999 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Minnesota it ranks #291 of 364 cities and towns. It ranks best on math scores (high), voter turnout (high) and food environment index (high). It ranks worst on mental health care shortage (high), grocery stores (low) and days with unhealthy air (high).

74High

Quality-of-life score: #3,999 of 15,651 cities and towns
Minnesota: #291 of 364 in MN
Population: 2,782 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 1,789.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 2712430

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 76 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.

Safety99#123/15,637
Economy53#7,374/15,631
Housing39#9,107/14,977
Health74#3,986/15,609
Healthcare40#9,369/15,650
Environment70#4,602/15,453
Education72#4,427/15,649
Infrastructure55#7,112/15,650
Community95#813/15,651
Leisure & amenities37#9,885/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Math scores · high3.62
99/100Minnesota 3.30United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWright County value
Voter turnout · high85.5%
99/100Minnesota 77.0%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionWright County value
Food environment index · high9.8
99/100Minnesota 9.1United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWright County value
Hospital quality rating · high5.0
98/100Minnesota 3.8United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesWright County value
Violent crime rate · low43 /100k
98/100Minnesota 224 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationWright County value
Property crime rate · low323 /100k
96/100Minnesota 1,412 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationWright County value

Weaknesses

Mental health care shortage · high19.0
4/100Minnesota 8.0United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationWright County value
Grocery stores · low0.9 /10k
9/100Minnesota 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWright County value
Days with unhealthy air · high2.9%
14/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyWright County value
Distance to an emergency room · high10.4 mi
15/100Minnesota 6.2 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesWright County value
Primary care physicians · low36 /100k
17/100Minnesota 90 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWright County value
Bachelor's degree or higher · low15.4%
19/100Minnesota 39.4%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Trends

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

Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
6.0% (2015-2019) → 14.7% (2020-2024)
+8.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Child poverty rateWorsening
11.4% (2015-2019) → 18.9% (2020-2024)
+7.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$52,639 (2015-2019) → $70,288 (2020-2024)
+34%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
New homes permittedWorsening
1.4 /1k (2021) → 1.1 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−26%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
54.0% (2015-2019) → 58.1% (2020-2024)
+4.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Income inequality (Gini index)Worsening
0.386 (2015-2019) → 0.453 (2020-2024)
+17%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483

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, Cokato, Minnesota improved on 1 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 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.

Improved1

Household income+34%$52,639 → $70,288

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Cokato, Minnesota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	25.4 min2015-2019	28.6 min2020-2024	+3.3 min	Within the margin of error	18%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.6%2015-2019	15.4%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Broadband subscriptions	83.2%2015-2019	85.9%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Child poverty rate	11.4%2015-2019	18.9%2020-2024	+7.5 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Effective property tax rate	1.15%2015-2019	1.16%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	16%
High school diploma or higher	89.6%2015-2019	87.3%2020-2024	−2.3 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	3.2×2020-2024	+0.4×	Within the margin of error	54%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3862015-2019	0.4532020-2024	+0.067	Within the margin of error	11%
Median household income	$52,6392015-2019	$70,2882020-2024	+34%	Improved	62%
Poverty rate	11.1%2015-2019	14.4%2020-2024	+3.3 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Rent as share of income	31.0%2015-2019	34.2%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Rent-burdened households	54.0%2015-2019	58.1%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Within the margin of error	41%

“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 Cokato, Minnesota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Cokato, 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, Cokato, Minnesota itself moved −14.5 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

2,782 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

1,043 households (±132)

Cokato, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $25k21%†220
$25k–50k18%†189
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,043 households (±132)

Cokato, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Own67%701
Rent33%†342

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+9.7 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

1,108 workers (±131)

Cokato, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Drive alone80%886
Carpool5.7%†63
Public transit1.8%†20

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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI

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 Wright County, the county holding most of Cokato's residents.

Wright County has 3,680 employer establishments, 243 for every 10,000 residents (0.98× the US rate of 248; 0.91× Minnesota's), with 42,944 paid employees at an average annual pay of $54,346. The Census Bureau also counts 11,758 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 3,680; 11,758 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 243; US 248 · Minnesota 268
Paid employees: 42,944
Average annual pay: $54,346; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	537	35.5	2.29×More than typical	3,239	$79,642	1,020
Ambulatory health care services	204	13.5	0.65×Fewer than typical	2,119	$72,109	422
Construction of buildings	197	13	1.72×More than typical	671	$76,976	389
Restaurants and other eating places	173	11.4	0.62×Fewer than typical	3,917	$19,951	17
Services to buildings and dwellings	172	11.4	1.69×More than typical	1,062	$52,536	561
Lessors of real estate	155	10.2	0.83×About typical	232	$45,284	1,095
Building finishing contractors	149	9.8	2.59×More than typical	799	$61,901	374
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	138	9.1	2.89×More than typical	1,213	$78,031	183
Building equipment contractors	135	8.9	1.48×More than typical	772	$73,606	129
Other specialty trade contractors	115	7.6	3.03×More than typical	455	$125,330	334
Landscaping services	109	7.2	2.06×More than typical	611	$62,933	197
Truck transportation	109	7.2	1.42×More than typical	690	$78,745	280

Rank places for an industry Open Wright County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 151,374 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 $1,078 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Cokato, Minnesota: $0.39 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $1,078
Per resident: $0.39; 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

U.S. Customs and Border Protection$1,078100%

Top recipients

OVERHEAD HOIST & CRANE SPECIALISTS INC$1,078100%

Spending by fiscal year

587.6FY2021
0FY2022
1.1KFY2026

What was bought

Other equipment & supplies$1,078100%

Top industries (NAICS)

Other general purpose machinery manufacturing · 3339$1,078100%

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 Cokato, Minnesota, so they do not add up across cities.

Cokato, Minnesota's figures are part of those of Wright County, MN ($4.8M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Wright 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.

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

House

Tom EmmerR-MN-6 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 1.3%

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.

Wright County96100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI93

Other cities and towns in Wright 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/2712430

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends