City · Olmsted County, Minnesota

Oronoco, Minnesota

Oronoco is a city in Olmsted County, Minnesota, part of the Rochester, MN metro area. It has 1,679 residents. Oronoco, Minnesota has a quality-of-life score of 98 out of 100 (very high), ranking #319 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Minnesota it ranks #22 of 364 cities and towns. It ranks best on primary care physicians (high), mammography screening (high) and dentists (high). It ranks worst on public libraries (low), child care cost burden (high) and pharmacies (low).

98Very high

Quality-of-life score: #319 of 15,651 cities and towns
Minnesota: #22 of 364 in MN
Population: 1,679 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 572.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 2748598

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.

Safety78#3,513/15,637
Economy95#766/15,631
Housing54#6,934/14,977
Health87#2,025/15,609
Healthcare100#16/15,650
Environment78#3,382/15,453
Education95#855/15,649
Infrastructure91#1,344/15,650
Community95#826/15,651
Leisure & amenities63#5,816/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Primary care physicians · high237 /100k
100/100Minnesota 90 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteOlmsted County value
Mammography screening · high64.0%
100/100Minnesota 54.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteOlmsted County value
Dentists · high137 /100k
99/100Minnesota 78 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteOlmsted County value
Uninsured residents (under 65) · low0.6%
98/100Minnesota 6.0%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010High uncertainty
Loneliness · low27.5%
98/100Minnesota 32.1%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Flu vaccinations · high57.0%
97/100Minnesota 50.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteOlmsted County value

Weaknesses

Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
4/100Minnesota 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesOlmsted County value
Child care cost burden · high41.9%
5/100Minnesota 29.9%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteOlmsted County value
Pharmacies · low0.8 /10k
7/100Minnesota 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOlmsted County value
Days with unhealthy air · high2.3%
17/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyOlmsted County value
New business applications · low9.6 /1k
21/100Minnesota 12.7 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauOlmsted County value
Distance to an airport · high70 mi
23/100Minnesota 43 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauOlmsted County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
1,577 (2015-2019) → 1,679 (2020-2024)
+6.5%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
21.1% (2015-2019) → 80.0% (2020-2024)
+59 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
19.0% (2015-2019) → 38.0% (2020-2024)
+19 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
51.0% (2015-2019) → 58.4% (2020-2024)
+7.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
New homes permittedWorsening
1.9 /1k (2021) → 1.2 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−36%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Median household incomeImproving
$121,250 (2015-2019) → $157,500 (2020-2024)
+30%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

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, Oronoco, Minnesota improved on 2 of 9 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 6 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.

Improved2

Bachelor's++7.3 points51.0% → 58.4%
Household income+30%$121,250 → $157,500

Declined1

Transit use−2.7 points2.7% → 0.0%

All 9 measures

Change of every measure of Oronoco, Minnesota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	23.0 min2015-2019	21.6 min2020-2024	−1.4 min	Within the margin of error	64%
Bachelor's degree or higher	51.0%2015-2019	58.4%2020-2024	+7.3 points	Improved	81%
Broadband subscriptions	96.0%2015-2019	98.3%2020-2024	+2.2 points	Within the margin of error	16%
Effective property tax rate	1.23%2015-2019	1.04%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	56%
High school diploma or higher	97.9%2015-2019	95.8%2020-2024	−2.1 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	3.2×2020-2024	+0.7×	Within the margin of error	38%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3732015-2019	0.4022020-2024	+0.030	Within the margin of error	27%
Median household income	$121,2502015-2019	$157,5002020-2024	+30%	Improved	55%
Public transit commuters	2.7%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	−2.7 points	Declined	11%

“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 Oronoco, Minnesota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Oronoco, 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, Oronoco, Minnesota itself moved −4 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

1,679 residents (±167)

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

522 households (±54)

Oronoco, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $25k5.2%†27
$25k–50k3.3%†17
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

522 households (±54)

Oronoco, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Own98%512
Rent1.9%†10

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

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

812 workers (±91)

Oronoco, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Drive alone76%618
Carpool6.0%†49
Public transit0.0%0

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 Rochester, 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 Olmsted County, the county holding most of Oronoco's residents.

Olmsted County has 3,754 employer establishments, 228 for every 10,000 residents (0.92× the US rate of 248; 0.85× Minnesota's), with 107,285 paid employees at an average annual pay of $76,343. The Census Bureau also counts 11,645 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 3,754; 11,645 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 228; US 248 · Minnesota 268
Paid employees: 107,285
Average annual pay: $76,343; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	288	17.5	0.95×About typical	6,269	$22,744	35
Specialty trade contractors	274	16.6	1.07×About typical	2,973	$80,521	587
Ambulatory health care services	237	14.4	0.69×Fewer than typical	3,341	$58,482	607
Lessors of real estate	198	12	0.98×About typical	822	$49,527	1,389
Construction of buildings	127	7.7	1.02×About typical	970	$86,122	260
Limited-service restaurants	121	7.3	0.92×About typical	2,279	$21,789	12
Full-service restaurants	115	7	0.91×About typical	3,177	$25,493	18
Services to buildings and dwellings	104	6.3	0.94×About typical	1,433	$38,283	412
Religious organizations	101	6.1	1.10×About typical	747	$25,515	—
Offices of other health practitioners	91	5.5	0.91×About typical	483	$46,135	285
Automotive repair and maintenance	86	5.2	1.04×About typical	436	$52,305	100
Clothing and accessories stores	85	5.2	1.42×More than typical	1,036	$20,276	107

Rank places for an industry Open Olmsted County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 164,841 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 -$941 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Oronoco, Minnesota: -$0.56 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: -$941; −122% vs FY2025
Per resident: -$0.56; 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

CHRISTIE A PATTEN-$9410.0%

Spending by fiscal year

4.2KFY2024
4.3KFY2025
-940.7FY2026

What was bought

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

Oronoco, Minnesota's figures are part of those of Olmsted County, MN ($30.9M 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: Oronoco is mostly in Olmsted County.

See federal money in Olmsted 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.

Oronoco, 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.

Olmsted County98100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Rochester, MN100

Other cities and towns in Olmsted 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/2748598

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends