City · Faribault County, Minnesota

Wells, Minnesota

Wells is a city in Faribault County, Minnesota. It has 2,296 residents. Wells, Minnesota has a quality-of-life score of 71 out of 100 (high), ranking #4,542 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Minnesota it ranks #308 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).

71High

Quality-of-life score: #4,542 of 15,651 cities and towns
Minnesota: #308 of 364 in MN
Population: 2,296 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 1,100.4 /mi²
FIPS code: 2769106

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#8,631/15,631
Housing59#6,171/14,977
Health54#7,133/15,609
Healthcare46#8,458/15,650
Environment93#1,117/15,453
Education75#3,858/15,649
Infrastructure19#12,616/15,650
Community91#1,465/15,651
Leisure & amenities59#6,353/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Wells, 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
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
Math scores · high3.50
96/100Minnesota 3.30United States 3.032019University 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
Distance to an airport · high91 mi
13/100Minnesota 43 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauFaribault County value

Trends

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

New homes permittedWorsening
1.8 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
72.7% (2015-2019) → 83.7% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
15.2% (2015-2019) → 5.6% (2020-2024)
−9.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$46,205 (2015-2019) → $60,156 (2020-2024)
+30%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Poverty rateImproving
14.6% (2015-2019) → 8.7% (2020-2024)
−5.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
High school diploma or higherImproving
86.7% (2015-2019) → 90.1% (2020-2024)
+3.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%

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, Wells, Minnesota improved on 2 of 13 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.

Improved2

Poverty−5.9 points14.6% → 8.7%
Broadband+11 points72.7% → 83.7%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Wells, Minnesota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.1 min2015-2019	17.6 min2020-2024	−3.5 min	Within the margin of error	82%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.9%2015-2019	20.9%2020-2024	+2 points	Within the margin of error	43%
Broadband subscriptions	72.7%2015-2019	83.7%2020-2024	+11 points	Improved	64%
Effective property tax rate	1.35%2015-2019	1.45%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	7%
High school diploma or higher	86.7%2015-2019	90.1%2020-2024	+3.4 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Home price to income ratio	1.8×2015-2019	1.7×2020-2024	−0.1×	Within the margin of error	83%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3962015-2019	0.3662020-2024	−0.030	Within the margin of error	74%
Median household income	$46,2052015-2019	$60,1562020-2024	+30%	Within the margin of error	56%
Poverty rate	14.6%2015-2019	8.7%2020-2024	−5.9 points	Improved	84%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	29.4%2015-2019	28.3%2020-2024	−1.1 points	Within the margin of error	63%
Rent-burdened households	49.1%2015-2019	46.7%2020-2024	−2.4 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.6%2015-2019	5.8%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	56%

“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 Wells, Minnesota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Wells, 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, Wells, Minnesota itself moved +4.9 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

2,296 residents (±213)

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

1,121 households (±99)

Wells, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $25k17%†190
$25k–50k28%318
$50k–75k16%†179

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,121 households (±99)

Wells, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Own76%853
Rent24%268

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

1,098 workers (±136)

Wells, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Drive alone81%886
Carpool4.6%†50
Public transit0.0%0

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 Wells'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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Wells 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.

Wells, 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/2769106

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends