Lonsdale is a city in Rice County, Minnesota, home to about 4,896 people across 2.6 square miles. Its ZIP code is 55046.
Homes sold for a median of $176 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.
Mostly Lonsdale; also Forest and Wheatland
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Lonsdale. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Lonsdale’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport / Wold–Chamberlain Field (MSP)31 miles away |
|---|---|
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Minneapolis, MN36 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Chicago, IL341 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Lonsdale; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Lonsdale had 4,686 residents in the 2020 census, up 214% since 2000.
It’s the 167th largest of 2,727 towns in Minnesota by population.
Rice County grew from 26,080 residents in 1900 to 67,097 in 2020.
Rice County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 82°F in summer, and winter lows average 5°F. About 35.5 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 43 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Faribault, MN weather station (12 miles away).
25,126 jobs at 1,600 businesses in Rice County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
6 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Lonsdale.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Dentists | 3 |
|---|---|
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 1 |
| Chiropractors | 2 |
| Pharmacies | 1 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (1 nearby)
Grocery stores
Museums
Counts are within about 1.5 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Public schools here are run by Tri-City United School District. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lonsdale Pre K-6Lonsdale | Pre-K–6 | 331 | Public | 2.0 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Forest, Wheatland, Erin and Webster.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.