Fillmore County

Fillmore County is located in southeastern Minnesota along the Iowa border, within the state’s Driftless Area—a region largely untouched by the last glaciation and known for its deeply carved river valleys and limestone bluffs. Established in 1853 and named for U.S. President Millard Fillmore, the county developed as an agricultural area tied to regional market towns and transportation routes across southeastern Minnesota. Fillmore County is small to mid-sized in population, with a predominantly rural character and several small cities. Its economy has long centered on farming and related agribusiness, alongside local manufacturing, services, and commuting to larger regional employment centers. The landscape includes rolling hills, trout streams, and extensive farmland, with outdoor recreation and conservation lands reflecting the county’s natural setting. The county seat is Preston, which serves as a local administrative and service hub.

Fillmore County is located in southeastern Minnesota along the Iowa border and is part of the state’s “Driftless Area,” characterized by river valleys and rolling uplands. The county seat is Preston; county services and planning information are available via the Fillmore County official website.

Population Size

According to the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Fillmore County, Minnesota, the county’s population was 21,228 (2023 estimate).

Age & Gender

Age and sex statistics are published by the U.S. Census Bureau in QuickFacts for the county. According to U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts (Fillmore County):

• Age distribution (percent of total population)

  • Under 5 years: 5.1%
  • Under 18 years: 21.7%
  • 65 years and over: 22.3%

• Gender ratio

  • QuickFacts provides female percent: 49.6% female (male share is the remainder).

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Race and Hispanic/Latino origin are reported by the U.S. Census Bureau in QuickFacts. According to U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts (Fillmore County) (percent of total population):

• White alone: 95.4%
• Black or African American alone: 0.6%
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.2%
• Asian alone: 0.4%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: 0.0%
• Two or more races: 3.3%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 1.9%

Household & Housing Data

Household and housing measures are reported by the U.S. Census Bureau in QuickFacts. According to U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts (Fillmore County):

• Households (2019–2023): 8,619
• Persons per household (2019–2023): 2.32
• Owner-occupied housing unit rate (2019–2023): 78.5%
• Median value of owner-occupied housing units (2019–2023, in 2023 dollars): $214,300
• Median selected monthly owner costs (with a mortgage, 2019–2023): $1,400
• Median selected monthly owner costs (without a mortgage, 2019–2023): $579
• Median gross rent (2019–2023): $785
• Building permits (2023): 25
• Housing units (2023): 9,536

Fillmore County is a largely rural county in southeastern Minnesota; lower population density and longer last‑mile distances tend to constrain fixed broadband buildout and can shape reliance on email and other internet-based communication. Direct county-level email usage statistics are not routinely published, so broadband and device access serve as proxies.

Digital access indicators are available from the U.S. Census Bureau (data.census.gov), including household broadband subscription and computer ownership measures commonly used to approximate capacity for regular email use. Age structure is also a key proxy: older age groups generally show lower rates of digital adoption, and Fillmore County’s age distribution can be summarized using American Community Survey tables. Gender distribution is typically close to parity in county demographic profiles and is not a primary driver of email adoption compared with age and connectivity.

Connectivity limitations in rural areas often include fewer wired provider options and coverage gaps. Broadband availability and provider footprint can be reviewed via the FCC National Broadband Map, and local planning context may appear on the Fillmore County government website.

Fillmore County is in southeastern Minnesota along the Iowa border, with Preston as the county seat. The county is predominantly rural, characterized by rolling hills and river valleys associated with the Driftless Area (an unglaciated landscape with pronounced topography). Low population density and uneven terrain can affect radio propagation and the economics of building dense cellular networks, producing more variable coverage than in Minnesota’s large metropolitan areas. Basic county context (population, housing, and settlement patterns) is available through Census.gov and county information resources such as the Fillmore County website.

Key definitions (availability vs adoption)

• Network availability (supply-side): Whether mobile broadband (4G LTE/5G) is reported as available at a location or across an area, generally based on provider filings and modeled coverage.
• Household/person adoption (demand-side): Whether residents actually subscribe to and use mobile service or mobile data, and whether mobile is used as a primary way to access the internet.

These measures are not interchangeable: an area can have reported coverage but lower adoption due to cost, device availability, digital skills, or preference for fixed broadband.

Network availability in Fillmore County (reported coverage)

4G LTE and 5G availability indicators

County-specific mobile coverage is most commonly documented through federal coverage datasets rather than county-run reporting:

• The FCC National Broadband Map provides location-based availability for mobile broadband and allows viewing provider-reported coverage for LTE and 5G. This source is the primary public reference for distinguishing where service is reported available versus where it is not.
• The FCC’s Broadband Data Collection (BDC) is the underlying program governing provider submissions; background and methodology are summarized on the FCC Broadband Data Collection page. Reported availability may overstate real-world experience because it is based on modeled coverage and provider filings rather than universal drive testing.
• Minnesota’s statewide broadband mapping and planning context is documented by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Office of Broadband Development. State materials are most useful for understanding broadband planning; county-level mobile-specific performance metrics are more limited than for fixed broadband.

Limitations at the county level: Publicly accessible, standardized countywide metrics for “percentage of the county with 5G” are not typically published as a single authoritative figure. The FCC map is the most direct way to view location-level coverage claims in Fillmore County and to separate coverage footprints from subscription rates.

Performance and reliability considerations tied to geography

• Topography: Valley-and-ridge terrain typical of the Driftless Area can create line-of-sight challenges and localized shadowing for mid- and high-band frequencies, making coverage and indoor signal more variable than in flatter terrain.
• Settlement pattern: Rural road networks and dispersed housing increase the cost per user for dense site builds, which can affect both coverage density and capacity, especially away from towns.

Household adoption and mobile access indicators (actual use)

What is available publicly at county scale

County-level adoption is most consistently measured through U.S. Census survey products rather than carrier data:

• The U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) includes computer and internet subscription tables that distinguish types of internet subscription, including cellular data plans (often reported as “cellular data plan” and “broadband such as cable, fiber, or DSL”). These data can be accessed via Census.gov by selecting Fillmore County, MN and the relevant “Computer and Internet Use” tables.
• ACS indicators are household-based and measure subscription/adoption, not signal availability or speeds. They also carry sampling error, which can be more pronounced in smaller counties.

Limitations: The ACS does not provide direct measures of “mobile penetration” in the telecom-industry sense (SIMs per capita) at the county level. It provides a defensible proxy for household adoption of cellular data plans and broader internet subscription patterns.

Interpreting adoption in a rural county context

Common adoption patterns in rural counties (as captured in ACS-style metrics) are typically shaped by:

• Fixed broadband availability and quality: Households without reliable fixed service may rely more on cellular data plans for internet access.
• Cost and plan constraints: Even where mobile is available, data caps and congestion can limit mobile’s suitability as a fixed-broadband substitute.
• Device access: Smartphone ownership is widespread nationally, but county-specific device-type splits are not routinely published in official county tables (see device types section below).

Mobile internet usage patterns (4G vs 5G use)

Availability vs usage

• Availability: LTE and 5G footprints can be reviewed using the FCC National Broadband Map.
• Actual usage (share of residents primarily using 4G vs 5G): County-level public statistics on the proportion of users actively using 5G-capable devices or spending most time on 5G are generally not published by official agencies. Carrier or analytics-firm reports often exist but are not standardized, consistently county-resolved, or methodologically comparable across counties.

Practical usage dynamics in rural areas (non-speculative, structural)

• Device capability and network layer: A 5G-capable phone may still spend substantial time on LTE due to cell density, indoor signal, and network design. This is a normal operational behavior and does not by itself indicate lack of 5G availability.
• Capacity vs coverage: In rural counties, 5G deployments may prioritize coverage enhancements on existing towers, while high-capacity “dense” deployments are more typical in urban cores.

Common device types (smartphones vs other devices)

What can be stated with public county-level certainty

• Smartphones are the dominant consumer mobile endpoint nationally, but county-level device-type shares (smartphone vs flip phone vs hotspot vs tablet) are not typically published as official statistics for an individual county in Minnesota.
• The most defensible local indicator is internet subscription type (for example, presence of a “cellular data plan” in ACS tables) rather than the specific device used.

Related measurable proxies

• ACS “Computer and Internet Use” data can indicate whether households have computing devices and what kind of internet subscriptions they maintain, available via Census.gov.
• For broad national device ownership benchmarks (not county-specific), federal survey summaries sometimes exist, but they do not resolve reliably to Fillmore County. County-level device splits therefore remain a documented data limitation.

Demographic and geographic factors influencing mobile usage

Rurality and population distribution

• Lower density generally correlates with fewer cell sites per square mile and greater distances from towers, which can affect indoor coverage and speeds, especially at the edges of coverage footprints.
• Town-centric demand can concentrate stronger service in and near municipalities, with more variable service in outlying areas.

Terrain and land cover

• Hills and valleys can create localized dead zones and signal variability. This is especially relevant for higher-frequency layers and for indoor coverage in buildings situated below ridge lines.

Socioeconomic factors captured in official data

• ACS provides county-level measures (with margins of error) for factors often associated with internet adoption, including age distribution, income, educational attainment, and household composition. These can be retrieved via Census.gov and used to contextualize adoption of cellular data plans versus fixed broadband subscriptions.
• State broadband planning context and digital inclusion efforts are documented by the Minnesota DEED Office of Broadband Development, though mobile-specific adoption programs are less commonly reported than fixed-broadband initiatives.

Summary of what is measurable for Fillmore County vs what is not

• Well-supported public measures

  • Reported LTE/5G availability by location: FCC National Broadband Map
  • Household adoption of cellular data plans and internet subscription types: Census.gov (ACS Computer & Internet Use tables)
  • State planning context: Minnesota DEED broadband resources

• Commonly sought but not consistently available at county level

  • “Mobile penetration” as SIMs-per-person or smartphone-only penetration specific to Fillmore County
  • Countywide share of active mobile usage on 5G vs 4G
  • Definitive county device-type distribution (smartphones vs basic phones vs hotspots)

These limitations reflect the way U.S. mobile connectivity data are published: coverage is mapped through federal availability filings, while adoption is measured through household surveys, and device-type detail is rarely standardized at the county level in official sources.

Fillmore County is in southeastern Minnesota along the Iowa border, anchored by Preston (county seat) and communities such as Spring Valley and Chatfield. The county is largely rural, with economic activity tied to agriculture, small manufacturing, and tourism around the region’s blufflands and trout streams, factors that generally align with heavier reliance on mobile connectivity and community-focused online groups for local information sharing.

User statistics (county context and usable benchmarks)

• County-specific social media penetration: No routinely published, methodologically consistent dataset provides Fillmore County–only social-media penetration or “active user” rates comparable to state/national surveys.
• Best-available benchmark (U.S. adults): Nationally, 72% of U.S. adults report using at least one social media site, according to the Pew Research Center social media fact sheet. This serves as the most commonly cited baseline for local-area planning in the absence of county-level measurement.
• Connectivity context (relevant to usage): County-level internet access and broadband availability are tracked through federal sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau computer and internet use resources and can be used to contextualize likely online participation levels, but they do not directly measure social-platform activity.

Age group trends (who uses social media most)

Based on Pew’s national age patterns:

• 18–29: Highest overall participation across major platforms; heavy use of visual/video-first apps and messaging.
• 30–49: High usage across multiple platforms; strong presence on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
• 50–64: Majority usage overall, concentrated on Facebook and YouTube; lower on newer short-form platforms.
• 65+: Lowest overall usage but still a majority on some platforms (notably Facebook and YouTube), with lower adoption of Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat.
  Source: Pew Research Center platform-by-platform demographic estimates.

Gender breakdown (overall and by platform)

County-specific gender splits are not published in standard public datasets; reliable patterns come from national survey benchmarks:

• Overall social media use: Men and women are close in overall adoption in Pew’s reporting, with platform-specific differences.
• Platform tendencies (national):
  • Women tend to over-index on Pinterest and often show higher usage on Instagram in many survey waves.
  • Men often over-index on YouTube usage and some discussion/community platforms depending on the survey year. Source: Pew Research Center demographic breakdowns by platform.

Most-used platforms (percentages from reputable surveys)

The most reliable, regularly updated public percentages are national estimates from Pew (U.S. adults):

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47%
• Pinterest: 35%
• TikTok: 33%
• LinkedIn: 30%
• WhatsApp: 29%
• Snapchat: 27%
• X (formerly Twitter): 22%
• Reddit: 22%
  Source: Pew Research Center social media fact sheet.
  These figures are commonly used as proxies for rural counties when county-only measures are unavailable, with local variance typically driven by age structure, commuting patterns, and broadband/mobile coverage.

Behavioral trends (engagement patterns and platform preferences)

• Local-information seeking and community groups: In rural counties, engagement commonly clusters around Facebook Pages/Groups for school activities, local events, weather/road updates, and community announcements; this aligns with Facebook’s broad adoption and older-skewing user base in national data (Pew).
• Video as a dominant content type: With YouTube reaching a large majority of adults, video is a high-reach format for how-to content (home repair, agriculture, outdoors) and local storytelling; short-form video behaviors also map to higher TikTok/Instagram use among younger adults (Pew).
• Age-driven platform segmentation: Younger residents tend to concentrate attention on TikTok/Instagram/Snapchat, while older residents concentrate on Facebook/YouTube; this produces parallel “information lanes” where the same local topic (school closings, events) circulates differently by age cohort.
• Messaging and private sharing: A meaningful share of social activity occurs through direct messages and small-group chats rather than public posting, consistent with broader U.S. trends described in major survey research on online communication and sharing behaviors (summarized across Pew internet studies at Pew Research Center: Internet & Technology).
• Platform preference linked to purpose: Facebook tends to serve community coordination and local news discovery, Instagram/TikTok serve entertainment and creator-driven content, and LinkedIn concentrates on professional networking; these role differences are reflected in Pew’s platform-by-demographic reporting (Pew).

Fillmore County, Minnesota maintains family-related vital records through the Fillmore County Recorder (birth and death records, and other vital records functions). Minnesota birth records are generally kept by the county of birth and the Minnesota Department of Health; death records are filed at the county level and with the state. Adoption records are primarily handled through Minnesota courts and state processes rather than county-recorded vital record indexes, and access is restricted.

Public-facing databases in Fillmore County primarily cover property and court-related information rather than full vital-record images. The county provides an online property search through the Fillmore County website (Recorder/Assessor resources) and publishes general contact and office hours for in-person services. Court records (including family court case registers where available) are accessed through the Minnesota Judicial Branch’s Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO) system, with additional access via courthouse terminals.

Residents access certified birth/death records by requesting them from the Fillmore County Recorder in person or by application methods listed by the office; state-issued vital records are also available through the Minnesota Department of Health Vital Records.

Minnesota vital records have statutory access limits; certified copies are generally restricted to eligible requesters, and adoption-related records are typically sealed except through authorized releases.

Types of records available

• Marriage records (licenses/certificates)

  • Minnesota marriage records originate as a marriage license application and are completed by a marriage certificate/return after the ceremony.
  • Fillmore County maintains locally issued marriage records through the Fillmore County Recorder (the county’s vital records office).

• Divorce records (decrees/judgments)

  • Divorce records are maintained as court case files in the Minnesota Judicial Branch. The final order is typically the Judgment and Decree (often referred to as a divorce decree).

• Annulments

  • Annulments are also court proceedings and are maintained in district court case files (e.g., a judgment/order determining the marriage is void/voidable under Minnesota law). They are not issued as a “vital record certificate” in the same manner as marriage certificates.

Where records are filed and how they can be accessed

• Marriage records (Fillmore County Recorder / Minnesota Department of Health)

  • Local filing: Marriage license applications and completed returns for licenses issued in Fillmore County are filed with the Fillmore County Recorder.
  • State registration: Marriage records are also registered with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), Office of Vital Records, which maintains statewide indexes and issues certified copies under state rules.
  • Access methods: Certified or noncertified copies are commonly available through in-person requests, written/mail requests, and in some cases official ordering services designated by the office. County Recorder offices typically handle records issued by that county; MDH handles statewide requests.

• Divorce and annulment records (Fillmore County District Court / Minnesota Judicial Branch)

  • Court filing: Divorce and annulment cases for Fillmore County are filed in the Fillmore County District Court (part of Minnesota’s state district court system).
  • Access methods: Public case information is generally accessible through Minnesota Judicial Branch court records systems (online case searches for register-of-actions level information) and through courthouse records access. Obtaining copies of specific documents (such as the Judgment and Decree) generally requires a request through court administration, subject to access rules and confidentiality classifications.

Typical information included in these records

• Marriage license application / marriage certificate

  • Full legal names of both parties
  • Dates of birth and/or ages
  • Addresses and places of residence
  • Place of birth (commonly state or country)
  • Date and place of marriage
  • Officiant’s name and authority; witness information (where recorded)
  • Prior marital status and number of previous marriages (commonly collected)
  • Application details and license number; date issued; date filed/recorded

• Divorce decree (Judgment and Decree)

  • Names of the parties and case number
  • Date of judgment and court findings
  • Dissolution terms, which commonly include:
    • Legal and physical custody/parenting time determinations (when applicable)
    • Child support and spousal maintenance orders (when applicable)
    • Division of marital property and debts
    • Name change provisions (when ordered)
  • References to related orders (temporary orders, parenting plans, qualified domestic relations orders where applicable)

• Annulment orders/judgments

  • Parties’ names and case number
  • Findings supporting annulment (void/voidable grounds under Minnesota law)
  • Disposition of issues addressed by the court (property, custody/support determinations where applicable)
  • Date of entry and judge’s signature

Privacy or legal restrictions

• Marriage records

  • Minnesota treats marriage records as vital records; certified copies are issued under Minnesota vital records statutes and administrative rules, with identity/eligibility requirements applied by the issuing office.
  • Informational (noncertified) copies may be available in some circumstances, but access and format depend on MDH and county procedures.
  • Recorded data may be limited or redacted on certain copy types to comply with state rules.

• Divorce and annulment records

  • Minnesota court records are generally public, but access is governed by the Minnesota Rules of Public Access to Records of the Judicial Branch.
  • Portions of family court case files can be confidential or restricted, including categories such as:
    • Financial account numbers and other sensitive identifiers (often protected or redacted)
    • Certain evaluations, reports, and documents involving minors
    • Documents sealed by court order
    • Addresses or contact information protected by specific court orders or statutory programs
  • Even when register-of-actions information is publicly viewable, access to specific documents may be limited based on confidentiality classifications, sealing, or required redactions.

Fillmore County is a rural county in southeastern Minnesota along the Iowa border, with a mix of small towns (including Preston, Chatfield, and Harmony) and extensive agricultural land. The county’s population is relatively small and dispersed compared with Minnesota’s metropolitan areas, and day-to-day community life is shaped by K–12 school districts serving multiple communities, a regional healthcare and public-sector employment base, and a housing stock dominated by owner-occupied single-family homes and rural properties.

Education Indicators

Public schools (counts and names)

Public K–12 education in Fillmore County is delivered primarily through multiple independent school districts and their schools located in (or serving) the county. A single authoritative countywide “number of public schools” is not consistently published in one place; the most reliable directory-style proxy is the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) school/district directory and district websites. Key public districts serving Fillmore County include:

• Fillmore Central School District (Preston area)
• Chatfield Public Schools
• Lanesboro Public School
• Harmony–Preston Valley / Kingsland-area service overlaps occur near county boundaries depending on residence and district lines (boundary effects are common in rural SE Minnesota)

School names vary by district and campus configuration (elementary vs. secondary). The most accurate, current listing of operational public schools is maintained through the state’s directory and district rosters (proxy source): the Minnesota Department of Education directory (MDE district and school information).

Student–teacher ratios and graduation rates

County-level student–teacher ratios are not typically reported as a single consolidated statistic because staffing and enrollment are reported by district and school. District-level ratios and staffing metrics are available through MDE and district report cards, and are the most accurate proxy for Fillmore County.

• Graduation rates are reported at the district and school level (4-year cohort rates), not as one countywide number. In rural southeastern Minnesota, graduation rates in many districts commonly fall in the upper-80% to mid-90% range, but the definitive values for Fillmore County students depend on the specific district. The authoritative source is MDE Report Card profiles by district/school (Minnesota Report Card).

Adult educational attainment

The most recent widely used benchmark for adult educational attainment is the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates (county level). Fillmore County is typically characterized by:

• A high share of adults with at least a high school diploma
• A smaller share with a bachelor’s degree or higher than statewide metropolitan averages, reflecting a rural labor market and older age distribution

Definitive, current percentages for:

• High school graduate or higher
• Bachelor’s degree or higher
  are available via the ACS county profile tools (authoritative source): U.S. Census Bureau data.census.gov (search “Fillmore County, Minnesota educational attainment”).

Notable programs (STEM, vocational training, AP/college credit)

Program availability is district-specific and commonly includes:

• Career and Technical Education (CTE) offerings (agriculture, trades/industrial tech, business, health-related coursework), typical of rural districts
• College credit options through Minnesota’s statewide frameworks, commonly including College in the Schools (CIS), Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO), and Advanced Placement (AP) in some districts depending on staffing and course demand

The best consolidated proxy for program availability and participation is district course catalogs and MDE program participation reporting; statewide program definitions are maintained by MDE and the Minnesota Office of Higher Education (PSEO): PSEO program overview.

School safety measures and counseling resources

Specific safety protocols and counseling staffing levels are set by each district, but the region’s public schools generally follow Minnesota requirements and standard practices such as:

• Visitor management and controlled entry procedures
• Emergency operations planning and drills
• Collaboration with local law enforcement and county emergency management
• School counseling services (often one or more counselors shared across grade bands in smaller districts), with referrals to regional mental health resources when needed

Definitive, current details (e.g., SRO arrangements, threat assessment processes, counseling FTE by building) are typically documented in district handbooks, school board policies, and annual notifications rather than county-level summaries.

Employment and Economic Conditions

Unemployment rate (most recent year available)

The most defensible “most recent year” unemployment metric at the county level is published by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Fillmore County’s unemployment is generally low and seasonal (agriculture, construction, tourism-related activity in parts of SE Minnesota), and it tends to track the broader Southeast Minnesota non-metro pattern.

• Authoritative annual and monthly rates are provided through DEED’s Local Area Unemployment Statistics: Minnesota DEED LAUS.

Major industries and employment sectors

Fillmore County’s employment base is typically anchored by:

• Health care and social assistance (regional clinics, long-term care, assisted living)
• Educational services and public administration (school districts, county and city government)
• Manufacturing and construction (small- to mid-sized employers, building trades)
• Retail trade and accommodation/food services (town centers and visitor-related activity)
• Agriculture and related services (crop/livestock operations and support services), with agricultural work often undercounted in some payroll-based datasets due to self-employment and farm proprietorship

The most consistent sector breakdowns for counties are available from the Census (ACS) and BEA; ACS “Industry” tables provide resident workforce composition: ACS industry/occupation tables on data.census.gov.

Common occupations and workforce breakdown

In rural SE Minnesota counties, the resident workforce commonly concentrates in:

• Management, business, and financial (smaller share than metro regions)
• Education, healthcare, and social service
• Production, transportation, and material moving
• Sales and office
• Construction, extraction, and maintenance
• Farming, fishing, and forestry (small share in standard occupation categories, with additional farm proprietors outside traditional wage-and-salary measures)

Definitive county occupation percentages are available in ACS occupation tables (search “Occupation by Sex” or “Selected Characteristics of the Work Force” for Fillmore County): ACS occupation profiles.

Commuting patterns and mean commute times

Fillmore County exhibits typical rural commuting patterns:

• A large share of commuters drive alone, with limited public transit usage
• Commute times tend to be moderate for rural counties, reflecting travel between small towns and to regional job centers (including Rochester in Olmsted County for some workers)

The authoritative metric for mean travel time to work and commuting modes is the ACS commuting tables: ACS commuting characteristics.

Local employment versus out-of-county work

Out-of-county commuting is common in rural southeastern Minnesota due to:

• Concentration of higher-wage healthcare, advanced manufacturing, and professional employment in nearby regional hubs
• Limited local job density outside county seats and larger towns

Definitive measures of where residents work versus where jobs are located are available through LEHD/OnTheMap origin-destination data (resident vs. workplace geography): U.S. Census OnTheMap.

Housing and Real Estate

Homeownership rate and rental share

Fillmore County’s housing tenure is typically characterized by high homeownership and a smaller rental market concentrated in town centers (apartments, duplexes, senior housing). The definitive homeownership and renter shares are reported in ACS tenure tables (county level): ACS housing tenure.

Median property values and recent trends

County median home value is best sourced from the ACS “Median value (dollars) of owner-occupied housing units.” Recent trends in rural SE Minnesota have generally included:

• Appreciation since 2020, consistent with statewide patterns
• Lower absolute prices than the Twin Cities metro, with variation by town (amenities, school location, and proximity to regional job centers)

Definitive median value and year-over-year comparisons are available in ACS 5-year estimates and can be cross-checked with the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s price index (regional proxy): FHFA House Price Index.

Typical rent prices

Rents are best represented by ACS “Median gross rent,” which captures contract rent plus basic utilities where applicable. In Fillmore County, the rental stock is smaller and more variable by community, with rents influenced by:

• Limited multi-family inventory
• Demand for senior housing and workforce rentals in larger towns

Definitive county median gross rent is available through ACS: ACS median gross rent.

Types of housing

The county’s housing stock is primarily:

• Owner-occupied single-family homes in towns and on acreages
• Farmhouses and rural lots with outbuildings
• A limited supply of apartments/duplexes, typically in Preston, Chatfield, and other town centers
• Senior-oriented housing (assisted living and age-restricted developments), reflecting an older age profile common in rural counties

Housing unit type distributions (single-unit detached vs. multi-unit) are available via ACS “Units in structure” tables: ACS units in structure.

Neighborhood characteristics (proximity to schools or amenities)

Neighborhood form is generally:

• Town neighborhoods with walkable proximity to schools, parks, and civic facilities (libraries, city halls, clinics)
• Rural neighborhoods with greater distance to schools and services, reliance on personal vehicles, and larger lot sizes
• Access to amenities often centers on school campuses, town parks, and county/state highways connecting to regional services outside the county

Because neighborhood attributes are not summarized in a single county dataset, the best proxy sources are municipal comprehensive plans, school district boundary maps, and ACS transportation/commuting indicators.

Property tax overview (rate and typical homeowner cost)

Property taxes in Minnesota vary materially by:

• Property classification (homestead vs. agricultural vs. seasonal/recreational)
• Local levies (county, city/township, school district, special districts)
• Taxable market value and the state’s class rate system

A single “average property tax rate” is not consistently published as one countywide figure; the most accurate public sources are:

• The Minnesota Department of Revenue property tax summaries and class rate structure: Minnesota property tax overview
• County-level payable-year totals and levy information maintained through county auditors and the state

For a typical owner-occupied home, the most defensible proxy for “typical cost” is the county’s median real estate taxes reported in ACS (annual amount for owner-occupied units). This can be retrieved from ACS housing cost tables: ACS real estate taxes.

Data note (availability and proxies): Several requested measures (public school counts consolidated to the county, countywide student–teacher ratios, unified lists of school safety features) are not published as standardized countywide indicators. The most reliable approach uses district/school-level reporting for education (MDE Report Card and directories) and ACS/DEED/LEHD for resident workforce, commuting, and housing costs.