Mankato is a city in the state of Minnesota that is located in the counties of Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur. Approximately 39,309 people lived there in 2010, according to the 2010 census, making it the fifth-largest city in Minnesota outside of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan region. It is located at a big bend of the Minnesota River, near the junction of the Blue Earth River, and is accessible by boat. Mankato is located on the other side of the Minnesota River from North Mankato. According to the 2020 census estimations, the combined populations of Mankato and North Mankato total 57,487 people in total. The town of Skyline is totally encircled by this structure. In Le Sueur County, a small portion of Mankato is located north of the city's regional airport in a non-contiguous area. The majority of the city is located inside Blue Earth County.
A total population of 94,149 people lived in the Mankato-North Mankato metropolitan region in 2010, according to the 2010 census. Mankato is the bigger of the two major cities in the Mankato-North Mankato metropolitan area, which includes Blue Earth and Nicollet counties. The estimated population for the 2020 Census is 102,723. Mankato was recognised as a Metropolitan Statistical Area by the United States Census Bureau in November 2008.
Mankato was awarded the second-best small college town in the United States by the website Schools.com in 2017.