Census Data for Northfield

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Northfield a population of 20,774 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Northfield a population of 20,007 people.

The city of Northfield is located in Rice County. The 2010 Census gave Rice County; a population of 64,142 people. This means that Northfield had 31.19% of the county's total population, making it Rice's 2nd most populous community.

At the same time, Minnesota had a population of 5,303,925 people, meaning that Northfield had 0.38% of the total population of Minnesota - making it the state's 55th most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Northfield has a total area of 8.62 square miles [22.3 km²]. Of this total, a small amount of the area is covered by water (0.05 square miles [0.1 km²]).

Rice County has a land area of 495.7 square miles [1,283.8 km²]. At 8.56 square miles [22.2 km²], Northfield has 1.73% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like Northfield, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the city.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Northfield reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Northfield might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   44° 27' 20"   (or 44.46°)
  • Lon:   -93° 10' 13"   (or -93.17°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Northfield had 6,832 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 20,007 people, this averages 2.93 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Northfield had a land area of 8.56 square miles [22.2 km²]. This translates to 793 Housing Units per square mile [306.2 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Northfield had 5,119 Housing Units, a population of 17,147 people and a land area of 6.99 square miles [18.1 km²]. This gives a density of 3.35 people per Housing Unit and 728 Housing Units per square mile [281.5 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 Census and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Northfield and you need to be careful when comparing values between the censuses. More information about the nature of these the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Rice County ...

The community of Northfield is primarily located in Rice County<4>. A portion of Northfield extends into Dakota County.

The county had a population of 64,142 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 20,007 people, Northfield represented 31.19% of the county's total.

In addition, where the city of Northfield has a population density of 2,322 people per square mile [896 people/km²], Rice County averages 129.4 people per square mile [49.96 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Rice County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Northfield, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Northfield. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Northfield or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Northfield, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Northfield.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   44.455645°   (or 44°27'20" N)
  • Lon:   -93.170311°   (or -93°10'13" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   44.456059°   (or 44°27'21" N)
  • Lon:   -93.162550°   (or -93°9'45" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 2,025 feet to the west<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#2395265) to Northfield. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Northfield. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   44.450835°   (or 44°27'3" N)
  • Lon:   -93.164498°   (or -93°9'52" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 2,316 feet to the northwest<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Northfield. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Northfield.

Miscellaneous Information for Northfield ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Rice County or the city of Northfield:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Northfield:
  • GNIS ID for Northfield: 2395265
  • GNIS ID for Rice County: 659511
  • GNIS ID for State of Minnesota: 662849

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 27 (Minnesota)
  • County Code: 131 (Rice County)
  • Place Code: 46924 (Northfield)
  • State & County Code: 27/131 (Minnesota / Rice County)
  • State & Place Code: 27/46924 (Minnesota / Northfield)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Northfield is located in Census Region #2 (the Midwest Region) and Division #4 (the West North-Central Division).

• The US Postal Service ZIP Code ...
  • While some people have used a ZIP code to identify a community, the purpose of the ZIP code was to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although the ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a city like Northfield, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Northfield. It's important to remember that the boundaries of a ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned or overlapped with other ZIP Codes.
  • The ZIP code for Northfield:55057<7>

• Census ZCTA Codes ...
  • The US Census Bureau created statistical entities that they call ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) and these ZCTAs are frequently confused with the ZIP codes that come from the US Postal Service (USPS).
  • ZCTAs were first created for the 2000 Census and at that time, they were based upon the USPS ZIP codes. While largely covering the same areas, the boundaries of a ZCTA do not necessarily match the boundaries of a postal ZIP code with the same number. For example, while a postal ZIP code can cross a county or state line, a Census ZCTA can not. They should be treated as separate entities with no correlation between them.

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Northfield.

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Northfield: www.ci.northfield.mn.us/

The official website for Rice County: www.co.rice.mn.us/

The official website for State of Minnesota: https://mn.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)