Mankato is a medium-sized city located in the state of Minnesota. With a population of 45,140 people and 11 associated neighborhoods, Mankato is the 22nd largest community in Minnesota. Much of the housing stock in Mankato was built relatively recently. The construction of new real estate can often be taken as an indication that the local Mankato economy is robust, and that jobs or other amenities are attracting an influx of new residents. This seems to be the case in Mankato, where the median household income is $61,726.00.

Also of interest is that Mankato has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 7.95% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Mankato is also a major college town with a large number of people who are 18 years or older and attending college. As is often the case in college towns, the many students that live in Mankato have a strong influence on the local culture and entertainment scene, which may seem dormant by comparison in the summer months when much of the student population is away. In the fall, the return of students has a reinvigorating effect on the community. Because colleges are lasting institutions, they have a stabilizing effect on the economy by providing direct local benefits such as jobs for faculty and staff and spending by students. Mankato’s economy is one such example of this.

Residents of the city have the good fortune of having one of the shortest daily commutes compared to the rest of the country. On average, they spend only 15.69 minutes getting to work every day.

The population of Mankato is very well educated relative to most cities and towns in the nation, where the average community has 21.84% of its adult population holding a 4-year degree or higher: 37.64% of adults in Mankato have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree.

The per capita income in Mankato in 2022 was $31,757, which is lower middle income relative to Minnesota, and middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $127,028 for a family of four. However, Mankato contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Mankato is a somewhat ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Mankato home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Mankato residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Mankato include German, Norwegian, Irish, Swedish, and English.

The most common language spoken in Mankato is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and African languages.