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Place dossier plate
SheetMN-ALBERT-LEA-MN · Albert Lea, MN 18,379 pop · income 39th pct · 10 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 Albert Lea
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Albert Lea on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Eastlake · lowest
62,510
Eastlake · lowest
62,510 median HH income
47.8% of the leader · rank #1
Mayfield Heig… · near
62,511
Mayfield Heig… · near
62,511 median HH income
47.8% of the leader · rank #2
Walkerton · near
62,521
Walkerton · near
62,521 median HH income
47.8% of the leader · rank #3
Albert Lea · this city
62,522
Albert Lea · this city
62,522 median HH income
47.8% of the leader · rank #4
New Tripoli · near
62,534
New Tripoli · near
62,534 median HH income
47.8% of the leader · rank #5
St. Michael · highest
130,814
St. Michael · highest
130,814 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #6
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 Albert Lea 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: 18,379.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Albert Lea - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Albert Lea places in the 39th percentile for household income and the 40th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
39th
percentile, household income
27th
percentile, home value
36th
percentile, median rent
40th
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: Albert Lea, MN
18,379 people live in Albert Lea, Minnesota - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Albert Lea brings in $62,522 a year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 6.3%. Typical homes in Albert Lea are valued around $150,400, and the median resident age is 44.3 years. 17.3% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 55.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 4 residential building permits were authorized in Albert Lea (Slowing), down 20% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Albert Lea reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR figures show 1698.4 crimes per 100,000 residents, below the national average (reporting is voluntary across agencies, so treat this as reporting activity rather than a definitive danger score). NOAA puts Albert Lea's yearly average temperature at 45.2°F with 35.8 inches of precipitation per year and 39.5 inches of snowfall.
Minnesota tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: the state registers 98.6 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,125 per month. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Minnesota run around $225, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Workers in Albert Lea report an average commute of 17.5 minutes, with 79.6% driving alone and 7.6% working from home. Natural-hazard exposure scores 42.4 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Albert Lea'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 within-city variation to comparison shortlist to population change to housing and income to schools and households to work and mobility to climate and hazard context to reported crime; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Albert Lea, city-specific coverage includes within-city Census tract profiles, annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares, matched public-school count, local building permits.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
Question 1
What can 10 Census tracts reveal inside Albert Lea?
PlainCities matches 10 Census tracts to this city.
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 Albert Lea?
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.
Within Minnesota, the closest population matches are Hopkins (18,696 residents, $71,170 income); Anoka (17,941 residents, $75,262 income); St. Michael (19,267 residents, $130,814 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are North Aurora, IL (18,375 residents); Bellwood, IL (18,373 residents); Oconomowoc, WI (18,385 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.
Is Albert Lea growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -283 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -1.5% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 4 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
How far does income reach against housing in Albert Lea?
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. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.
The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 2.4 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 6.3%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
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.
Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Albert Lea?
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.
The NCES join finds 9 public schools within the city match. 17.3% 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.
Poverty estimate
6.3%
Bachelor's degree+
17.3%
Matched public schools
9
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
What does the journey to work look like in Albert Lea?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 79.6%. The reported mean trip to work is 17.5 minutes.
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.
Drive alone
79.6%
Work from home
7.6%
Public transit
0.0%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 8,162 workers age 16+.
What physical conditions frame life in Albert Lea?
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.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 45.2°F, with 35.8 inches of precipitation and 39.5 inches of annual snowfall. 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.
FEMA risk index (state avg)
42.4
Annual precipitation
35.8 in
Mean temperature
45.2°F
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Albert Lea?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1698.4 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 26% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
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.
Total reported rate
1698.4
Violent rate
208.9
Property rate
1489.5
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Below median income · poverty 6.3% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
98.6 (US=100)
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Minnesota average
D
City profile score · Albert Lea, MN
43/100
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.
Poverty rate C
6.3%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better 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.
Violent crime D
209 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Household income F
$62,522
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share F
17.3%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Albert Lea profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Poverty rate: 57/100 (C) · 6.3%
Cost of living: 46/100 (D) · 98.6 index
Violent crime: 46/100 (D) · 209 /100k
Household income: 38/100 (F) · $62,522
Bachelor's+ share: 26/100 (F) · 17.3%
Where Albert Lea sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Albert Lea'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 - Albert Lea highlighted among 10 peers.Read the chart values
Albert Lea, MN (this city): home $150,400, crime 1,698/100k
North Aurora, IL : home $323,900, crime 1,006/100k
Bellwood, IL : home $219,600, crime 1,504/100k
Oconomowoc, WI : home $367,700, crime 324/100k
Tallmadge, OH : home $226,400, crime 1,061/100k
Hopkins, MN : home $350,100, crime 1,577/100k
Anoka, MN : home $292,900, crime 1,432/100k
Stillwater, MN : home $398,100, crime 949/100k
Sartell, MN : home $278,000, crime 1,310/100k
Red Wing, MN : home $224,800, crime 2,355/100k
How does Albert Lea compare to other US cities?
Where Albert Lea sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income39% higher than other cities
Home value27% pricier than other cities
Median rent36% pricier than other cities
Safety40% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at Minnesota, Albert Lea ranks #172 of 229 Minnesota cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Albert Lea 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 Albert Lea near the bottom of Minnesota's cities
Among the 785 Minnesota cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Albert Lea ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Albert Lea only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#480 of 775
38th percentile in Minnesota
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 785
0th percentile in Minnesota
Median Home Value
#457 of 774
41st percentile in Minnesota
Poverty Rate
#342 of 785
56th percentile in Minnesota
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#500 of 784
36th 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
39th percentile nationally for median household income · 40th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Albert Lea's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Albert Lea'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 Albert Lea's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$150,400Among the most affordablemore affordable than 73% 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
Albert Lea's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.4×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#3,517 of 15,516
More affordable than 77% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#287 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 2.4×, Albert Lea sits in the affordable band:
national rank #3,517 of 15,516 and #287 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
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
$62,522Albert Lea, MN median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Albert Lea, 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 Albert Lea, MN.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)17.3%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)6.3%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)55.6%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
18,379
Median Income
$62,522
Median Home Value
$150,400
Median Age
44.3
Poverty Rate
6.3%
Labor force participation
55.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
17.3%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1698.4
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
208.9
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1489.5
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
45.2°F
Annual Precipitation
35.8"
Annual Snowfall
39.5"
Schools
Total Schools
9
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Albert Lea's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
18,500 residents
2021
18,442 residents
2022
18,393 residents
2023
18,249 residents
2024
18,224 residents
2025
18,217 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Slowing
Total Permits (2024)
4
housing units authorized
Single-Family
4
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.2
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
5
5
0
$1.5M
2020
3
3
0
$1.1M
2021
55
7
48
$6.8M
2022
4
4
0
$1.4M
2023
5
5
0
$2.2M
2024
4
4
0
$1.7M
Permit volume decreased 20% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
17.5 minutes
Drive Alone
79.6%
Carpool
7.9%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
2.8%
Work from Home
7.6%
Other
2.1%
Based on 8,162 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 Albert Lea. 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 Albert Lea 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 Albert Lea sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Albert Lea 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.