Population
269 residents
Census ACS 2023 - Minnesota
City profile · Minnesota · Census ACS 2023
Bigelow, MN
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Bigelow - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 269
- Residents
- $75,625
- Median income
- $1,049
- Median rent (state)
Bigelow - the verdict
Bigelow ranks in the 57th percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.
- 57th
- percentile, household income
- 24th
- 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: Bigelow, MN
269 people live in Bigelow, Minnesota - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Bigelow households earn a median of $75,625 annually, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 7.7%. The median resident age is 36.8 years. Educational attainment runs 7.5% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 70.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 0 residential units were authorized in 2024 (No Permits).
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 $1,049 monthly. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Minnesota run around $225, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 50.2 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Low).
Median Household Income
$75,625 /yr
Poverty 7.7%
Cost of Living Index (state)
98.6 (US=100)
Near Average - BEA RPP 2024, Minnesota average
How does Bigelow compare to other US cities?
Bigelow measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income 57% higher than other cities
Median rent 24% 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 Bigelow against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Minnesota only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Minnesota-relative analysis
Bachelor's Degree or Higher places Bigelow near the bottom of Minnesota's cities
Among the 784 Minnesota cities PlainCities tracks with reported bachelor's degree or higher data, Bigelow ranks #728 - the 7th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Bigelow only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#295 of 775
62nd percentile in Minnesota
Median Gross Rent
#411 of 785
45th percentile in Minnesota
Poverty Rate
#271 of 785
65th percentile in Minnesota
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#728 of 784
7th percentile in Minnesota
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.
57th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Income distribution context
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 7.5%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 7.7%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 70.3%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
269
Median Income
$75,625
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
36.8
Poverty Rate
7.7%
Labor force participation
70.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
7.5%
Population Change
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Housing Supply
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 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
72.5%
Carpool
16.9%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
9.2%
Work from Home
1.4%
Based on 142 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for Minnesota - EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$95
avg/month
Natural Gas
$85
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$45
avg/month
Total Utilities
$225
estimated/month
Estimates reflect Minnesota state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Cost of living is a Minnesota state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Bigelow sits in
Cost of Living Index
98.6
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,049/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
50.2 / 100
Low
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in Minnesota
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Bigelow's 269 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide
Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Bigelow's $75,625 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How Bigelow compares to nearby Minnesota cities
Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Census ACS 5-year FIPS MN Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Bigelow, MN?
What is the population of Bigelow, MN? +
Bigelow, MN has a population of 269 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in Bigelow, MN? +
In Bigelow, the typical household earns $75,625 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the cost of living in Bigelow? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Bigelow; the closest available measure is the Minnesota state average, a cost of living index of 98.6 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within Minnesota vary by metro area.
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.
Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.
Citation & verification links
Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCitiesEvery 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.