City profile · Minnesota · Census ACS 2023

Alvarado, MN

Alvarado's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

338
Residents
$70,000
Median income
$132,700
Median home
$1,125
Median rent (state)
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See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Alvarado.

Place dossier plate

Sheet MN-ALVARADO-MN · Alvarado, MN 338 pop · income 49th pct

POP-VILLAGE · INC-MID · COL-PAR · SAFE-UNK · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-LOW · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-VILLAGE 338
  • INC-MID $70,000
  • COL-PAR 98.6
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-MID 49th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Steele
  • HOME-LOW $132,700
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Steele, AL (+ $0 income $)

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 Alvarado

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Alvarado on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

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.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Alvarado on ACS population and median household income . 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: 338.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $70,000. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Alvarado - the verdict

Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Alvarado lands in the 49th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.

49th
percentile, household income
22nd
percentile, home value
36th
percentile, median rent
📝 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: Alvarado, MN

Census ACS 2023 estimates count 338 residents in Alvarado, a small town within Minnesota. The typical household in Alvarado brings in $70,000 a year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 10.8%. Home values in Alvarado run a median of $132,700, and the median resident age is 31.2 years. Educational attainment runs 25.3% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 68.1% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

In 2024, 0 residential building permits were authorized in Alvarado (No Permits), per Census BPS data.

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). A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,125 per month statewide. Monthly utility costs average around $225 across Minnesota, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Workers in Alvarado report an average commute of 22.7 minutes, with 91.6% driving alone and 1.9% working from home. 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 Alvarado'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 comparison shortlist to population change to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Alvarado, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, commute-mode shares, local building permits. No matched row is reported here for FBI reported-crime rates, matched public-school count, within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

Question 1

How far does income reach against housing in Alvarado?

The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 1.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 10.8%, 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. 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.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Question 2

Which cities make useful reference points for Alvarado?

Within Minnesota, the closest population matches are Lowry (337 residents, $56,250 income); Askov (333 residents, $34,464 income); Lancaster (344 residents, $65,313 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Stanfield, AZ (338 residents); Amity, IN (338 residents); Branch, LA (338 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.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

3. Population change

Is Alvarado growing, shrinking, or holding steady?

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.

Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -7 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -1.8% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 0 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.

See the national growth ranking →

4. Work and mobility

What does the journey to work look like in Alvarado?

Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. The profile is strongly car-oriented, so a relocation comparison should put trip distance, vehicle access, and household fuel costs ahead of a citywide commute average. The same-state peer links offer a more relevant benchmark than a national label.

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 91.6%. The reported mean trip to work is 22.7 minutes.

Compare commute patterns →

Population

338 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$70,000 /yr

Below median income · poverty 10.8% (Above-median poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

98.6 (US=100)

Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Minnesota average

City profile score · Alvarado, MN

45/100

4 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.

Bachelor's+ share C-
25.3%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Household income D
$70,000

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

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.

Poverty rate F
10.8%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

Alvarado profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Bachelor's+ share, Household income, Cost of living, Poverty rate. Bachelor's+ shareHousehold incomeCost of livingPoverty rate 45 D
Alvarado profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Bachelor's+ share: 50/100 (C-) · 25.3%
  • Household income: 49/100 (D) · $70,000
  • Cost of living: 46/100 (D) · 98.6 index
  • Poverty rate: 37/100 (F) · 10.8%

How does Alvarado compare to other US cities?

Here's how Alvarado stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 49% higher than other cities
Home value 22% pricier than other cities
Median rent 36% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares Alvarado 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 Alvarado near the bottom of Minnesota's cities

Among the 785 Minnesota cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Alvarado ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Alvarado only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#357 of 775
54th percentile in Minnesota
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 785
0th percentile in Minnesota
Median Home Value
#519 of 774
33rd percentile in Minnesota
Poverty Rate
#174 of 785
77th percentile in Minnesota
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#292 of 784
63rd 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.

49thIncome percentile
Gauge source note

49th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Alvarado's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$132,700 Among the most affordable more affordable than 78% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). This entry sits in this band. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Above this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Above this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Alvarado $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

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

Alvarado's home-value-to-income ratio: 1.9×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#1,291 of 15,516
More affordable than 92% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,246 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 1.9×, Alvarado sits in the affordable band: national rank #1,291 of 15,516 and #1,246 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000). 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

$70,000 Alvarado, MN median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Alvarado, MN Alvarado, MN's median household income ($70,000) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Alvarado, MN-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Alvarado, MN median $70,000/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Alvarado, 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 Alvarado, MN.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 25.3%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 10.8%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 68.1%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
338
Median Income
$70,000
Median Home Value
$132,700
Median Age
31.2
Poverty Rate
10.8%
Labor force participation
68.1%
Bachelor's Degree+
25.3%

Population Change

PEP vintage

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
385 residents390 residents395 residents400 residents 202020212022202320242025 397 residents 390 residents ▼ -1.8%
Alvarado's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.
Read the chart as text
Period Population
2020 397 residents
2021 398 residents
2022 393 residents
2023 391 residents
2024 389 residents
2025 390 residents

Housing Supply

BPS source

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized

Total Permits (2024)
0
housing units authorized
Single-Family
0
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 0
2020 1
2021 0
2022 0
2023 0
2024 0

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
22.7 minutes
Drive Alone
91.6%
Carpool
6.5%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
1.9%

Based on 154 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 Alvarado. 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 Alvarado 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 Alvarado sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Alvarado 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.

City Population Median Household Income
Alvarado (this city) 338 $70,000
Lowry 337 $56,250
Askov 333 $34,464
Lancaster 344 $65,313
Census BPS 2024
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, 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.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

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