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.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 7.95% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. 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.

Because Mankato has a very large number of students who are 18 years or older and in college, it is thought of as a college town. This has a major influence on local Mankato lifestyle, entertainment, and culture in general. Life in Mankato is very much tied to the academic calendar: when students return from the summer break in the fall, one will notice them out and about, buying groceries, out with friends, and generally getting re-acquainted with each other. In Mankato people study hard and play hard, and there is ample opportunity to do both.

Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Mankato spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 15.69 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the city are less than they would otherwise be.

The citizens of Mankato are very well educated compared to the average community in the nation: 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.