City · Rice County, Minnesota

Dundas, Minnesota

Dundas is a city in Rice County, Minnesota, part of the Faribault-Northfield, MN metro area. It has 1,916 residents. Dundas, Minnesota has a quality-of-life score of 96 out of 100 (very high), ranking #594 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Minnesota it ranks #45 of 364 cities and towns. It ranks best on poverty rate (low), broadband subscriptions (high) and loneliness (low). It ranks worst on unemployment rate (high), preventable hospital stays (high) and mental health care shortage (high).

96Very high

Quality-of-life score: #594 of 15,651 cities and towns
Minnesota: #45 of 364 in MN
Population: 1,916 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 1,037.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 2717126

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.

Safety83#2,645/15,637
Economy76#3,679/15,631
Housing70#4,489/14,977
Health84#2,472/15,609
Healthcare64#5,561/15,650
Environment88#1,794/15,453
Education90#1,607/15,649
Infrastructure89#1,660/15,650
Community97#464/15,651
Leisure & amenities68#4,963/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Poverty rate · low1.9%
97/100Minnesota 9.3%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Broadband subscriptions · high98.5%
96/100Minnesota 91.6%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Loneliness · low29.1%
96/100Minnesota 32.1%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Child poverty rate · low0.5%
95/100Minnesota 9.6%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001High uncertainty
High school diploma or higher · high97.2%
94/100Minnesota 93.9%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Distance to an emergency room · low3.0 mi
93/100Minnesota 6.2 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesRice County value

Weaknesses

Unemployment rate · high11.7%
6/100Minnesota 3.9%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty
Preventable hospital stays · high3,878 /100k
11/100Minnesota 2,419 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRice County value
Mental health care shortage · high18.0
11/100Minnesota 8.0United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationRice County value
New business applications · low8.8 /1k
13/100Minnesota 12.7 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauRice County value
Public transit commuters · low0.0%
27/100Minnesota 1.8%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301
Pharmacies · low1.3 /10k
29/100Minnesota 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsRice County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
1,579 (2015-2019) → 1,916 (2020-2024)
+21%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
53.5% (2015-2019) → 20.0% (2020-2024)
−33 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
36.9% (2015-2019) → 20.0% (2020-2024)
−17 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
New homes permittedImproving
4.9 /1k (2021) → 7.8 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+61%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
33.3% (2015-2019) → 42.7% (2020-2024)
+9.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Unemployment rateWorsening
3.6% (2015-2019) → 11.7% (2020-2024)
+8 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%

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, Dundas, Minnesota improved on 3 of 8 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 3 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

Bachelor's++9.4 points33.3% → 42.7%
Household income+27%$91,481 → $116,310
Broadband+3.4 points95.1% → 98.5%

Declined2

Inequality+0.0680.314 → 0.382
Price / income+0.5×2.3× → 2.8×

All 8 measures

Change of every measure of Dundas, Minnesota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	24.8 min2015-2019	24.0 min2020-2024	−0.8 min	Within the margin of error	58%
Bachelor's degree or higher	33.3%2015-2019	42.7%2020-2024	+9.4 points	Improved	88%
Broadband subscriptions	95.1%2015-2019	98.5%2020-2024	+3.4 points	Improved	22%
Effective property tax rate	1.41%2015-2019	1.26%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	47%
High school diploma or higher	95.7%2015-2019	97.2%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	2.8×2020-2024	+0.5×	Declined	47%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3142015-2019	0.3822020-2024	+0.068	Declined	11%
Median household income	$91,4812015-2019	$116,3102020-2024	+27%	Improved	49%

“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 Dundas, Minnesota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Dundas, 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, Dundas, Minnesota itself moved −1.6 points in standing on average over the same 8 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

1,916 residents (±242)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 10–19 men (+5.3 points).

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,916 residents (±242)

Dundas, Minnesota
Minnesota share

White82%1,576
Black1.7%†32
Hispanic or Latino5.0%†96
Asian1.9%†37
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races9.1%†175

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: White (−9.1 points).

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

1,218 residents (±162)

Dundas, Minnesota
Minnesota share

No high school diploma2.8%†34
High school or GED23%281
Some college18%218
Associate degree14%165
Bachelor's degree28%343
Graduate degree15%177

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Bachelor's degree (+10.9 points).

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

660 households (±86)

Dundas, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $25k6.4%†42
$25k–50k7.0%†46
$50k–75k19%†124
$75k–100k9.8%†65
$100k–150k27%180
$150k–200k18%†121
$200k or more12%†82

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−9.3 points).

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

660 households (±86)

Dundas, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Own97%640
Rent3.0%†20

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

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

20 households (±11)

Dundas, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,00020%†4
$1,000–1,50015%†3

Home values

640 homes (±87)

Dundas, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $150k5.6%†36
$150k–250k21%†136
$250k–400k45%286

Age of homes

680 homes (±86)

Dundas, Minnesota
Minnesota share

2010 or later22%†152
2000–200942%287
1980–199914%†92

Size of homes

680 homes (±86)

Dundas, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom1.6%†11
2 bedrooms16%†111

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

956 workers (±132)

Dundas, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Drive alone71%679
Carpool7.7%†74
Public transit0.0%0
Walk3.0%†29
Bike0.3%†3
Work from home17%†167
Other0.4%†4

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+15.4 points).

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

789 workers (±110)

Dundas, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under 15 min47%368
15–29 min18%†141
30–44 min15%†121

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 Faribault-Northfield, 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 Rice County, the county holding most of Dundas's residents.

Rice County has 1,600 employer establishments, 233 for every 10,000 residents (0.94× the US rate of 248; 0.87× Minnesota's), with 25,126 paid employees at an average annual pay of $48,956. The Census Bureau also counts 4,692 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,600; 4,692 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 233; US 248 · Minnesota 268
Paid employees: 25,126
Average annual pay: $48,956; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	173	25.2	1.63×More than typical	672	$77,859	380
Restaurants and other eating places	88	12.8	0.70×Fewer than typical	1,651	$19,015	25
Ambulatory health care services	81	11.8	0.57×Fewer than typical	1,126	$69,679	145
Construction of buildings	78	11.4	1.50×More than typical	443	$64,438	162
Lessors of real estate	58	8.5	0.69×Fewer than typical	125	$45,584	420
Building equipment contractors	52	7.6	1.26×More than typical	348	$68,471	46
Religious organizations	47	6.9	1.24×About typical	294	$25,020	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	45	6.6	1.30×More than typical	174	$55,034	61
Building finishing contractors	42	6.1	1.61×More than typical	82	$53,317	130
Limited-service restaurants	41	6	0.75×Fewer than typical	845	$16,333	5
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	40	5.8	1.85×More than typical	106	$79,481	69
Truck transportation	40	5.8	1.15×About typical	195	$75,923	298

Rank places for an industry Open Rice County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 68,585 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

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

See federal money in Rice 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.

Dundas, Minnesota is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).