Zumbrota is the home of the Zumbrota Covered Bridge, the last structure of its kind in the state of Minnesota.
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,789 people, 1,141 households, and 741 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,412.6 people per square mile (546.6/km²). There were 1,191 housing units at an average density of 603.2/sq mi (233.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.38% White, 0.82% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.18% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.47% of the population.
There were 1,141 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $41,678, and the median income for a family was $53,750. Males had a median income of $34,821 versus $25,647 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,786. About 6.6% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.7% of those under age 18 and 13.1% of those age 65 or over.