National Community Survey

City fall drone shot

Since 2013, the City has partnered with the National Research Center at Polco to conduct the National Community Survey every two years. Over 500 communities across the nation participate in the survey, allowing the City of River Falls to compare its performance with peer cities.

The community survey results provide important insights for the River Falls City Council, helping to inform the development of the Capital Improvement Plan, biennial budget, strategic initiatives, housing strategy, and more.

2025 Survey

From May 7-July 13, 2025, 3,000 randomly selected households within City limits received and had the opportunity to respond to the survey. Approximately three percent of the 3,000 mailed surveys were returned because the housing unit was vacant, or the postal service was unable to deliver the survey as addressed. Of the remaining 2,911 households that received the survey, 477 completed the survey, providing an overall response rate of 16%.

2023 Survey

On May 1, 2023, invitations to participate in the survey were mailed to a randomly selected sample of 2,800 River Falls households. Participants were invited to complete and send back a paper survey or take the survey online. About four percent of the 2,800 mailed invitations or surveys were returned because the household address was vacant or the postal service was unable to deliver the survey as addressed. Of the remaining 2,697 households that received the invitations to participate, 524 completed the survey, providing an overall response rate of 19%.

2021 Survey

In July 2021, surveys were mailed to 2,700 households within city limits. Approximately three percent of the 2,700 mailed surveys were returned because the housing unit was vacant, or the postal service was unable to deliver the survey as addressed. Of the remaining 2,612 households, 557 completed the survey, creating an overall response rate of 21 percent. In total, 133 of the completed surveys in 2021 were submitted online. The final results were presented to the City Council on October 26, 2021.