Austin, Minnesota
Area Profile
26,358 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Austin, in Mower County.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 13 sourcesEmployment conditions sit below most comparable cities measured: unemployment is 4.9% and the Opportunity signal places Austin in the bottom 21%.
In the public schools here, 38% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 15.1 students for every teacher.
Residential permitting has slowed: 4 units authorized over the past twelve months, 96% below the prior year. That follows a longer stretch moving the other way, through 2025.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment of 4.9% — higher than in all but 29% of the 4,226 measured US cities.
Employment fell 1.7% over the past year, to 12,383 employed residents.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsMower County, MN’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $54,065 | 14th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftMower County, MN’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $54,637 | 14th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$5,4582024 ACS 5-Year | $68,057 | Top 48%of 29,223 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$1,2802024 ACS 5-Year | $31,514 | Bottom 42%of 31,420 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 12.5% | Bottom 43%of 31,773 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±1.4 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 19.2 min | Top 15%of 31,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 23.6% | Top 42%of 31,919 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 75.2% | 43rd percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentJuly 2026 | 12,383 | Bottom 7%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)July 2026 | +0.1% | Top 44%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)July 2026 | −1.7% | Bottom 31%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceJuly 2026 | 13,024 | 7th percentileof 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 78.3% | Top 50%of 31,513 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public transit to work ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.6% | 88th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026 | +0.9% | Bottom 4%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateJuly 2026 | 4.9% | Bottom 29%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 5.3% | 38th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Unemployment rate
Median household income, successive ACS releases
38% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 42% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 15.1 students for every full-time teacher across 12 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Senior High | Austin Public School District | 1,485 | 18.1 | 31% | 42% |
| Ellis Middle | Austin Public School District | 726 | 14.8 | 43% | 46% |
| I.J. Holton Intermediate School | Austin Public School District | 712 | 14.0 | 26% | 47% |
| Banfield Elementary | Austin Public School District | 574 | 14.7 | 62% | 48% |
| Southgate Elementary | Austin Public School District | 539 | 13.8 | 61% | 52% |
| Sumner Elementary | Austin Public School District | 387 | 13.8 | 22% | 27% |
| Neveln Elementary | Austin Public School District | 381 | 12.7 | 42% | 32% |
| CLC - Pre-Kindergarten | Austin Public School District | 210 | 12.4 | — | — |
| Austin Area Learning Center | Austin Public School District | 172 | 43.0 | 3% | 5% |
| Austin Community Learning Center | Austin Public School District | 87 | 12.4 | — | — |
| Smec Alc | Southern MN Education Consortium | 70 | 14.0 | — | — |
| Oakland Education Center | Austin Albert Lea Area Special Educ | 40 | 6.7 | — | — |
59.7% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Minnesota’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the non-metropolitan parts of Minnesota is up 43% over five years, and up 3.8% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.
Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $1,698 a year in real estate taxes, about 1.04% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,049, some 10% above the $953 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,049 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $42,000 a year, about 62% of the median household income here of $68,057.
The typical renter household here spends 28% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $953 a month.
A median home at $163,900 costs 2.0 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $83,083, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.
The figures above are measured against Austin’s median household income of $68,057, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home price change (1 year)the non-metropolitan parts of Minnesota’s figure2026 Q2 | +3.8% | 63rd percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Minnesota’s figure2026 Q2 | +42.5% | 49th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Minnesota’s figure2026 Q2 | +88.5% | 44th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year | 2.0 | Top 31%of 26,815 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 71.5% | 41st percentileof 31,717 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±2112024 ACS 5-Year | 10,909 | 95th percentileof 32,177 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $799 | Top 8%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $1,350 | Top 10%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $1,049 | Top 11%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$722024 ACS 5-Year | $953 | Top 48%of 23,120 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$6,9842024 ACS 5-Year | $163,900 | 43rd percentileof 29,111 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$942024 ACS 5-Year | $1,698 | 48th percentileof 26,440 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$8,1412024 ACS 5-Year | $83,083 | Top 44%of 27,548 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.07%2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.04% | 54th percentileof 20,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 27.9% | Top 48%of 22,950 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±882024 ACS 5-Year | 122 | 91st percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.1% | 63rd percentileof 31,895 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 6.2% | 46th percentileof 31,769 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±2242024 ACS 5-Year | 799 | 93rd percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
Population has grown 2% since 2020, reaching 26,690 in 2024.
New construction is predominantly single-family: of 4 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes.
Federal tax returns show Mower County, which contains Austin, lost about 0.7% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $54,065, close to the $54,637 of households that moved out.
At 0.2 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US cities.
Population, annual estimates
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Olmsted County, MN 251 people · 17% of arrivals
- Freeborn County, MN 93 people · 6.4% of arrivals
- Dodge County, MN 56 people · 3.9% of arrivals
- Hennepin County, MN 54 people · 3.7% of arrivals
- Fillmore County, MN 48 people · 3.3% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Olmsted County, MN 246 people · 15% of departures
- Freeborn County, MN 176 people · 10% of departures
- Ramsey County, MN 71 people · 4.2% of departures
- Hennepin County, MN 69 people · 4.1% of departures
- Dodge County, MN 63 people · 3.7% of departures
Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Mower County, MN. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
Housing units permitted per year
Weather & climate
5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 81°F and January a low of 5°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 36.2 inches, including 43.4 inches of snow.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 36.2" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals | 43.4" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 5°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 81°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 5 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 57°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, tornado and drought, with inland flooding alone responsible for 56% of it.
Low or minimal exposure: winter weather, heat wave, ice storm, landslide, wildfire, earthquake, hurricane, avalanche, tsunami, volcanic activity, coastal flooding.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.
Austin's police department reported 186 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, near the middle of places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 1,675.
Mower County has a modeled homicide rate of about 2.1 per 100,000 residents a year, because the CDC suppresses counts this small, lower than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.
Firearm deaths of all intents run at about 8.4 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.
Drug overdose deaths run at about 13.9 per 100,000 residents in Mower County.
Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.
Offenses are reported to the FBI by Austin’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Austin (Mower County) rather than Austin itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Cost of living
- Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
- Air quality
- The EPA publishes an air-quality index only where a monitor sits. There is none in this county, and a modeled value would be a different kind of number from the measured ones everywhere else on this page.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
4 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Rochester Intl at 29 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 88.0% | Bottom 42%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 29 mi | Bottom 29%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 4 | Bottom 38%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 6.5% | Top 45%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester Intl | RST | 29 mi | 9,034 ft |
| Waterloo Rgnl | ALO | 82 mi | 8,399 ft |
| Minneapolis-St Paul Intl/Wold-Chamberlain | MSP | 84 mi | 11,006 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
Customize your score
What matters to you?
Choose what you weight most heavily. Nothing is saved to an account — your preferences stay in this browser, and the Area Score never changes.
Select one or more priorities to see how this location scores against them.
Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyCompare
Put Austin side by side with a similar place.
Moving to Austin from somewhere else?
You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.
Data & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Safety | Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency | 2025 calendar year |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Safety | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics Provisional county-level mortality by intent | April 2025 to March 2026; March 2025 to February 2026 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.
ZIP codes in Austin
1 ZIP areaEvery ZIP area in Austin with census figures of its own, largest first. The ones linked below diverge enough from the city as a whole to carry a full profile; the rest track Austin closely, so their figures are here rather than on a page that would repeat this one. An Area Score is calculated for published profiles only, which is why it is blank on those rows.
| ZIP | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Area Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55912 | 29,632 | $70,177 | $170,200 | — |