The population and steets of Sartell City, Iowa are just below average compared to the rest of the state and nation. The city's poverty rate is much lower than the national average, which is 10 to 13%. Although it is a small city, the overall costs of living in Sartell are lower than the national average. The city also scores well in educational measures, as its public schools have high graduation rates and low student-teacher ratios. Moreover, the cost of health care and groceries is also cheaper than in other areas.
There are several public and private schools in Sartell, including a high school that has a student population of 286. The city's population is growing at a slow pace, with the downtown area slowly disappearing in the early 1970s as part of the state's highway rerouting efforts. The remaining businesses largely failed to survive and were replaced by the construction of the Sartell Bridge in the early 1980s. However, the city's proximity to St. Cloud's major retail center and airport make it a great place to live.
The Sartell family is primarily Presbyterian, so they helped organize the Riverside Presbyterian church on the west bank of the Mississippi River, one mile north of the town's stop sign. This church served the Sunday needs of the town's Protestant residents. Later, the town incorporated another church, Saint Francis Xavier, which was founded in 1948. The church is named after a Slovenian missionary, who was instrumental in attracting German farmers to the area.