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Place dossier plate
SheetMN-AITKIN-MN · Aitkin, MN 2,217 pop · income 14th pct · 8 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Aitkin
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Aitkin on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Greensburg · lowest
37,321
Greensburg · lowest
37,321 median HH income
23.6% of the leader · rank #1
Iuka · near
45,805
Iuka · near
45,805 median HH income
28.9% of the leader · rank #2
Seaside · near
45,807
Seaside · near
45,807 median HH income
28.9% of the leader · rank #3
Hampton · near
45,809
Hampton · near
45,809 median HH income
28.9% of the leader · rank #4
Pastoria · near
45,809
Pastoria · near
45,809 median HH income
28.9% of the leader · rank #5
Aitkin · this city
45,813
Aitkin · this city
45,813 median HH income
28.9% of the leader · rank #6
Water Mill · highest
158,250
Water Mill · highest
158,250 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Aitkin on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 2,217.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Aitkin - the verdict
Aitkin ranks in the 14th percentile for household income and the 49th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
14th
percentile, household income
34th
percentile, home value
36th
percentile, median rent
49th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Aitkin, MN
Minnesota's Aitkin is a small town, with 2,217 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Aitkin households earn a median of $45,813 annually, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 13.4%. Aitkin's housing stock carries a median value of $172,800, and the median resident age is 47.3 years. Educational attainment runs 20.0% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 46.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 3 residential building permits were authorized in Aitkin (Building Boom), up 50% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Aitkin reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 1396.0 incidents per 100,000 residents, below the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 40.6°F with 31.9 inches of precipitation per year.
Minnesota tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Minnesota at 98.6 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Near Average). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,125 monthly. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Minnesota's average monthly utility costs around $225 (state average). On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 42.4 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Aitkin's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from housing and income to reported crime to within-city variation to population change to schools and households to climate and hazard context to work and mobility to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Aitkin, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, annual population history, matched public-school count, FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles, commute-mode shares.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
Question 1
How far does income reach against housing in Aitkin?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.8 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 13.4%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Aitkin?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1396.0 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 39% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
Which cities make useful reference points for Aitkin?
Within Minnesota, the closest population matches are Springfield (2,209 residents, $59,412 income); Pequot Lakes (2,236 residents, $66,974 income); Olivia (2,243 residents, $62,683 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Gassville, AR (2,216 residents); Denver, IA (2,216 residents); Greensburg, KY (2,218 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Population change
Is Aitkin growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
The recent population line is broadly flat. That makes the composition of change more important than the headline count: housing turnover, household size, and age structure can shift even when the total barely moves.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -13 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -0.6% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 3 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
-0.6%
2025 estimate
2,155
2020 estimate
2,168
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
The NCES join finds 3 public schools within the city match. 20.0% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Matched public schools
3
Bachelor's degree+
20.0%
Poverty estimate
13.4%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 40.6°F, with 31.9 inches of precipitation. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Minnesota is 42.4 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
Mean temperature
40.6°F
Annual precipitation
31.9 in
FEMA risk index (state avg)
42.4
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
What does the journey to work look like in Aitkin?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 70.5%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Public transit
0.0%
Work from home
9.1%
Drive alone
70.5%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 790 workers age 16+.
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Minnesota average
D
City profile score · Aitkin, MN
40/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Violent crime A
47 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Cost of living D
98.6 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Bachelor's+ share F
20.0%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate F
13.4%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$45,813
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Aitkin profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Violent crime: 85/100 (A) · 47 /100k
Cost of living: 46/100 (D) · 98.6 index
Bachelor's+ share: 34/100 (F) · 20.0%
Poverty rate: 26/100 (F) · 13.4%
Household income: 15/100 (F) · $45,813
Where Aitkin sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Aitkin's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Aitkin highlighted among 8 peers.Read the chart values
Aitkin, MN (this city): home $172,800, crime 1,396/100k
Gassville, AR : home $126,600, crime 1,428/100k
Denver, IA : home $221,100, crime 256/100k
Greensburg, KY : home $117,700, crime 1,377/100k
Springfield, MN : home $117,600, crime 404/100k
Olivia, MN : home $156,600, crime 705/100k
Crosby, MN : home $175,600, crime 212/100k
Arlington, MN : home $181,600, crime 258/100k
How does Aitkin compare to other US cities?
Where Aitkin sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income14% higher than other cities
Home value34% pricier than other cities
Median rent36% pricier than other cities
Safety49% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just Minnesota and the picture shifts: Aitkin ranks #152 of 229 Minnesota cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Aitkin against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Minnesota only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Minnesota-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Aitkin near the bottom of Minnesota's cities
Among the 785 Minnesota cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Aitkin ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Aitkin only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#715 of 775
8th percentile in Minnesota
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 785
0th percentile in Minnesota
Median Home Value
#387 of 774
50th percentile in Minnesota
Poverty Rate
#108 of 785
86th percentile in Minnesota
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#406 of 784
48th percentile in Minnesota
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Minnesota only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
14th percentile nationally for median household income · 49th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Aitkin's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Aitkin's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Aitkin's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$172,800Among the most affordablemore affordable than 66% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Aitkin's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.8×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#9,958 of 15,516
More affordable than 36% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#7,886 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 3.8×, Aitkin sits in the moderate band:
national rank #9,958 of 15,516 and #7,886 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$45,813Aitkin, MN median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Aitkin, MN median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Aitkin, MN.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)20.0%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)13.4%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)46.7%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
2,217
Median Income
$45,813
Median Home Value
$172,800
Median Age
47.3
Poverty Rate
13.4%
Labor force participation
46.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
20.0%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1396.0
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
46.5
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1349.5
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Climate
Avg Temperature
40.6°F
Annual Precipitation
31.9"
Annual Snowfall
N/A
Schools
Total Schools
3
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Aitkin's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
2,168 residents
2021
2,182 residents
2022
2,188 residents
2023
2,169 residents
2024
2,172 residents
2025
2,155 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
3
housing units authorized
Single-Family
3
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1.4
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
2
2
0
$0.3M
2020
2
2
0
$0.3M
2021
2
2
0
$0.3M
2022
2
2
0
$0.6M
2023
2
2
0
$0.4M
2024
3
3
0
$0.7M
Permit volume increased 50% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
70.5%
Carpool
11.4%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
7.2%
Work from Home
9.1%
Other
1.8%
Based on 790 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Minnesota statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $225
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Minnesota at $225 (electricity about $95 , water and sewer about $45 ).
These are Minnesota statewide averages, not a meter reading for Aitkin. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Minnesota's BEA cost-of-living index is 98.6 (Near Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Aitkin is $1,125/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Minnesota statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 42.4 / 100 (Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Minnesota statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Aitkin sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Aitkin compares to similar-size Minnesota cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.