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Place dossier plate
SheetMN-BRAINERD-MN · Brainerd, MN 14,474 pop · income 25th pct · 21 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 Brainerd
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Brainerd on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Fergus Falls · lowest
50,865
Fergus Falls · lowest
50,865 median HH income
26.8% of the leader · rank #1
Owosso · near
53,702
Owosso · near
53,702 median HH income
28.3% of the leader · rank #2
Brainerd · this city
53,705
Brainerd · this city
53,705 median HH income
28.3% of the leader · rank #3
Alexis · near
53,708
Alexis · near
53,708 median HH income
28.3% of the leader · rank #4
Morris · near
53,710
Morris · near
53,710 median HH income
28.3% of the leader · rank #5
New Salisbury · near
53,711
New Salisbury · near
53,711 median HH income
28.3% of the leader · rank #6
Bothell East · highest
189,519
Bothell East · highest
189,519 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 Brainerd 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: 14,474.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Brainerd - the verdict
Nationally, Brainerd sits in the 25th percentile for household income and the 28th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
25th
percentile, household income
36th
percentile, home value
36th
percentile, median rent
28th
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: Brainerd, MN
14,474 people live in Brainerd, Minnesota - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Households in Brainerd report a median income of $53,705 per year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 13.5%. Home values in Brainerd run a median of $178,600, and the median resident age is 36.1 years. About 19.5% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 59.1% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 29 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Slowing), down 22% from five years earlier. Crime here tracks close to the national norm: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 2210.1 incidents per 100,000 residents, near the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 41.1°F with 30.6 inches of precipitation per year and 48.2 inches of snowfall.
Minnesota tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Minnesota scores 98.6 (Near Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,125 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Minnesota run around $225, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. The average commute for Brainerd workers runs 18.0 minutes, with 79.0% driving alone and 4.5% 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 Brainerd'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 work and mobility to schools and households to climate and hazard context to reported crime to population change to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Brainerd, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, local building permits, FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles, annual population history, matched public-school count.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
Question 1
What can 21 Census tracts reveal inside Brainerd?
PlainCities matches 21 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 Brainerd?
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 Alexandria (14,579 residents, $61,558 income); Monticello (14,607 residents, $81,563 income); Hutchinson (14,629 residents, $71,730 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Hopatcong, NJ (14,470 residents); Jasper, AL (14,480 residents); Oneonta, NY (14,467 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.
What does the journey to work look like in Brainerd?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 79.0%. The reported mean trip to work is 18.0 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.
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. 19.5% 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.
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.
Climate and hazard context
What physical conditions frame life in Brainerd?
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 41.1°F, with 30.6 inches of precipitation and 48.2 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
30.6 in
Mean temperature
41.1°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 Brainerd?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 2210.1 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, near the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 3% 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
2210.1
Violent rate
431.1
Property rate
1779.0
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Is Brainerd growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +54 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +0.4% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 29 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
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.
2020 estimate
14,374
2025 estimate
14,428
Period change
+0.4%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
How far does income reach against housing in Brainerd?
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.
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.3 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 13.5%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
3.3×
Home value
$178,600
Household income
$53,705
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Below median income · poverty 13.5% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
98.6 (US=100)
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Minnesota average
F
City profile score · Brainerd, MN
30/100
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.
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
19.5%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate F
13.5%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$53,705
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime F
431 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Brainerd profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 46/100 (D) · 98.6 index
Bachelor's+ share: 33/100 (F) · 19.5%
Poverty rate: 26/100 (F) · 13.5%
Household income: 25/100 (F) · $53,705
Violent crime: 20/100 (F) · 431 /100k
Where Brainerd sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Brainerd'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 - Brainerd highlighted among 8 peers.Read the chart values
Brainerd, MN (this city): home $178,600, crime 2,210/100k
Hopatcong, NJ : home $318,600, crime 251/100k
Jasper, AL : home $208,000, crime 4,751/100k
Alexandria, MN : home $247,200, crime 1,810/100k
Hutchinson, MN : home $210,300, crime 1,412/100k
Robbinsdale, MN : home $280,400, crime 2,157/100k
North Mankato, MN : home $252,700, crime 999/100k
Fergus Falls, MN : home $173,300, crime 2,569/100k
How does Brainerd compare to other US cities?
Where Brainerd sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income25% higher than other cities
Home value36% pricier than other cities
Median rent36% pricier than other cities
Safety28% 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: Brainerd ranks #196 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 Brainerd 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 Brainerd near the bottom of Minnesota's cities
Among the 785 Minnesota cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Brainerd ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Brainerd only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#620 of 775
20th percentile in Minnesota
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 785
0th percentile in Minnesota
Median Home Value
#371 of 774
52nd percentile in Minnesota
Poverty Rate
#105 of 785
86th percentile in Minnesota
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#423 of 784
45th 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
25th percentile nationally for median household income · 28th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Brainerd's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Brainerd'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 Brainerd's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$178,600Among the most affordablemore affordable than 64% 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
Brainerd's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.3×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#8,236 of 15,516
More affordable than 47% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,316 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 3.3×, Brainerd sits in the moderate band:
national rank #8,236 of 15,516 and #1,316 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
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
$53,705Brainerd, MN median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Brainerd, 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 Brainerd, MN.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)19.5%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)13.5%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)59.1%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
14,474
Median Income
$53,705
Median Home Value
$178,600
Median Age
36.1
Poverty Rate
13.5%
Labor force participation
59.1%
Bachelor's Degree+
19.5%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
2210.1
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
431.1
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1779.0
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
41.1°F
Annual Precipitation
30.6"
Annual Snowfall
48.2"
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
Brainerd's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
14,374 residents
2021
14,531 residents
2022
14,531 residents
2023
14,538 residents
2024
14,412 residents
2025
14,428 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Slowing
Total Permits (2024)
29
housing units authorized
Single-Family
17
detached homes
Multifamily
12
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
2
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
37
35
2
$7.3M
2020
43
41
2
$8.3M
2021
34
34
0
$6.3M
2022
37
31
6
$6.9M
2023
19
15
4
$4.2M
2024
29
17
12
$5.6M
Permit volume decreased 22% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
18.0 minutes
Drive Alone
79.0%
Carpool
10.8%
Public Transit
1.3%
Walk
2.3%
Work from Home
4.5%
Other
2.1%
Based on 6,752 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 Brainerd. 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 Brainerd 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 Brainerd sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Brainerd 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.