Northfield, MN GIS Map
Northfield is a city in Rice County, Minnesota, with a population of about 20,602. The map below shows its location, boundary and surrounding roads, with federal GIS layers you can turn on for the area.
- County
- Rice County
- Population
- 20,602
- Elevation
- 904 ft
- Coordinates
- 44.4583, -93.1614
- ZIP code
- 55057
- Land area
- 8.5 sq mi
- Time zone
- America/Chicago
About Northfield, MN
Northfield is a city in Rice County, Minnesota, United States. A small portion lies in the adjacent Dakota County. The population was 20,790 at the 2020 census. Northfield is 40 mi (64 km) south of the downtowns of Minneapolis and St. Paul and is an exurb of the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. It is home to two private liberal arts colleges, Carleton College and St. Olaf College.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Cities Near Northfield
- Faribault, MN12 mi
- Lakeville, MN14 mi
- Apple Valley, MN19 mi
- Burnsville, MN22 mi
- Eagan, MN24 mi
- Owatonna, MN26 mi
- Bloomington, MN27 mi
- Inver Grove Heights, MN28 mi
Other Cities in Rice County
GIS Data for Northfield, MN
The Northfield map loads live federal GIS layers in your browser, so you can check flood zones, terrain, land cover and district boundaries for any address in Northfield without a separate GIS login. Everything below is drawn from public U.S. government data.
Layers you can turn on
FEMA flood zones
National Flood Hazard Layer — flood insurance rate map zones.
Elevation contours and hillshade
USGS 3DEP terrain, so you can read slope and relief.
Land cover
NLCD land cover classes — forest, developed, wetland, water.
School districts
Census TIGER unified and elementary school district boundaries.
ZIP code and county boundaries
Census TIGER ZCTA and county boundary lines.
Map tools
Measure distance and area
Draw a line or polygon to get length in miles or area in acres.
Sketch and annotate
Add points, lines and shapes on top of the map.
Inspect any point
Click the map to read coordinates, elevation and the layers under your cursor.
Download the map
Save the current view as a PNG image.
Northfield Demographics
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
Population
20,742
Households
6,380
Median household income
$84,895
Median age
28.2 years
Median home value
$329,400
Median gross rent
$1,103/mo
Owner-occupied homes
69.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher
53.3%
Below poverty level
8.8%
Land area
8.5 sq mi
Population density
2,428 / sq mi
County
ZIP codes in Northfield
Northfield Population Growth
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census and Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2024: April 2020 estimates base and July 1, 2024 estimate).
2010 Census
20,007
April 2020 (estimates base)
20,815
July 2024 estimate
21,316
Change 2010-2020
+4.0%
Change 2020-2024
+2.4%
Photos of Northfield
Hover over a photo to see it larger. Tap on mobile.
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, taken in or near Northfield. Credits and licenses are shown in the larger view.
Soils of Northfield
General soil map unit at the city center: Waukegan-Estherville-Dickinson-Colo
Soil Properties
- Drainage class
- Well drained
- Hydrologic soil group
- B (moderate infiltration)
- Available water storage (0–150 cm)
- 17.0 cm
- Typical slope
- 3%
- Flooding frequency
- None
Soil Components
- Estherville20%
Mollisols · Typic Hapludolls
- Waukegan19%
Mollisols · Typic Hapludolls
- Colo13%
Mollisols · Cumulic Endoaquolls
- Zumbro9%
Mollisols · Entic Hapludolls
- Fairhaven9%
Mollisols · Typic Hapludolls
- Dickinson8%
Mollisols · Typic Hapludolls
Source: USDA NRCS U.S. General Soil Map (STATSGO2). General soil map data (1:250,000 scale) is not suitable for site-specific decisions.
Climate of Northfield
30-year averages (1991–2020) from the Faribault, Mn weather station, elevation 970 ft, 11.5 miles from the city center.
Warmest month
Jul · avg high 82°F
Coldest month
Jan · avg low 5°F
Annual precipitation
35.5 in
Annual snowfall
43.3 in
Average Monthly Temperatures (°F)
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high °F | 23 | 28 | 40 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 59 | 42 | 29 |
| Avg low °F | 5 | 8 | 20 | 33 | 45 | 57 | 61 | 58 | 50 | 36 | 24 | 13 |
| Precip. in | 0.97 | 1.00 | 1.92 | 3.13 | 4.37 | 5.57 | 4.64 | 4.66 | 3.68 | 2.60 | 1.67 | 1.24 |
| Snow in | 9.4 | 10.6 | 6.4 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 4.9 | 10.1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020. Conditions at the station may differ from other parts of the city.
Natural Hazard Risk in Northfield
FEMA National Risk Index ratings for Rice County, compared with all U.S. counties.
Overall risk
Score 75.4 of 100
Expected annual loss
Buildings, population & agriculture
Social vulnerability
Susceptibility to hazard impacts
Community resilience
Ability to prepare & recover
Risk by Hazard
- Strong WindRelatively High
- HailRelatively High
- TornadoRelatively Moderate
- Cold WaveRelatively Moderate
- Inland FloodingRelatively Moderate
- Winter WeatherRelatively Moderate
- LandslideRelatively Low
- DroughtRelatively Low
- Ice StormRelatively Low
- Heat WaveRelatively Low
- LightningRelatively Low
- WildfireVery Low
- EarthquakeVery Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025 release). County-level ratings are relative to other U.S. counties and are not a property-specific assessment.
Northfield FAQ
What county is Northfield in?
+
Northfield, Minnesota is located in Rice County.
What is the population of Northfield?
+
Northfield has a population of about 20,602, making it the number 33 of the 48 Minnesota cities listed on GIS Map.
What is the elevation of Northfield?
+
The elevation of Northfield is approximately 904 feet (276 meters) above sea level at the city center.
What ZIP codes are in Northfield?
+
The ZIP code for Northfield is 55057.
What time zone is Northfield in?
+
Northfield is in the Central Time zone (America/Chicago).
How far is Northfield from Saint Paul?
+
Northfield is about 34 miles from Saint Paul, the capital of Minnesota, in a straight line.
How far is Northfield from Minneapolis?
+
Northfield is about 36 miles from Minneapolis, the largest city in Minnesota listed on GIS Map, in a straight line.
What cities are near Northfield?
+
Cities near Northfield include Faribault, MN (12 miles); Lakeville, MN (14 miles); Apple Valley, MN (19 miles); Burnsville, MN (22 miles); Eagan, MN (24 miles).
Local notes for Northfield, MN
Questions and local knowledge from people who know the area. Every note is read before it appears here.