Albert Lea, MN: Local News, Events & Neighbors

Albert Lea ( AL-bərt LEE) is a city in Freeborn County, in southern Minnesota. It is the county seat. Its population was 18,492 at the 2020 census. The city is at the junction of Interstates 35 and 90, about 90 miles (140 km) south of the Twin Cities. It is on the shores of Fountain Lake, Pickerel Lake, Albert Lea Lake, Goose Lake, School Lake, and Lake Chapeau. Fountain Lake and Albert Lea Lake are part of the Shell Rock River flowage. The city's early growth was based on agriculture, farming support services and manufacturing, and it was a significant rail center. At one time it was the site of Cargill's headquarters. Other manufacturing included Edwards Manufacturing (barn equipment), Sc…

Official town website ↗

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

How Albert Lea ranks

All →

#18Most affordable in MN #24Lowest property tax in MN #43Cheapest rent in MN All MN rankings →

Town numbers

ZIP code56007

Area code507

Living in Albert Lea

Housing in Albert Lea

$175K Median sale price · Redfin, May 2026

The median sale price was $175,000 in May 2026.

A seller's market

Buyer’sBalancedSeller’s

Days on market41

Sale-to-list98.8%

Sold in May25

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Albert Lea

C⁺

Safety Grade C+

Albert Lea reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 65% report less.

Violent crime per 1,000

Albert Lea 1.2

Minnesota 2.3

U.S. 3.3

Property crime per 1,000

Albert Lea 19.3

Minnesota 14.3

U.S. 15.5

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Schools in Albert Lea

All Albert Lea schools →

C

School Grade C

The public schools Albert Lea’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 66% of Minnesota’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.

See how Albert Lea’s schools compare in MN →

DistrictAlbert Lea Public School DistrictSchools10

Hawthorne Elementary CElementary · Grades PK–5 · 400 students Lakeview Elementary A-Elementary · Grades PK–5 · 400 students Halverson Elementary C+Elementary · Grades PK–5 · 360 students Sibley Elementary CElementary · Grades PK–5 · 275 students St. Theodore's ElElementary · Grades PK–5 · 92 students Southwest Middle CMiddle · Grades 6–7 · 486 students

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within MN. Ratings are from neighbors.