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Place dossier plate
SheetMN-DULUTH-MN · Duluth, MN 86,863 pop · income 45th pct · 9 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 Duluth
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Duluth on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Deerfield Bea… · lowest
56,976
Deerfield Bea… · lowest
56,976 median HH income
41.3% of the leader · rank #1
Duluth · this city
66,263
Duluth · this city
66,263 median HH income
48.0% of the leader · rank #2
Lake Havasu C… · near
66,264
Lake Havasu C… · near
66,264 median HH income
48.0% of the leader · rank #3
Camp Pendleto… · near
66,265
Camp Pendleto… · near
66,265 median HH income
48.0% of the leader · rank #4
Ottawa · near
66,268
Ottawa · near
66,268 median HH income
48.0% of the leader · rank #5
Banner Hill · near
66,270
Banner Hill · near
66,270 median HH income
48.0% of the leader · rank #6
Lakeville · highest
138,119
Lakeville · highest
138,119 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 Duluth 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: 86,863.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Duluth - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Duluth places in the 45th percentile for household income and the 14th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
45th
percentile, household income
50th
percentile, home value
36th
percentile, median rent
14th
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: Duluth, MN
Minnesota's Duluth is a small city, with 86,863 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. The typical household in Duluth brings in $66,263 a year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 7.5%. Home values in Duluth run a median of $225,700, and the median resident age is 35.2 years. Educational attainment runs 42.3% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 62.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 402 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Slowing), down 9% from five years earlier. Duluth's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 3173.8 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, above the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). NOAA puts Duluth's yearly average temperature at 40.6°F with 31.2 inches of precipitation per year and 90.2 inches of snowfall.
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). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,125 per month. Monthly utility costs average around $225 across Minnesota, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. 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 Duluth'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 work and mobility to climate and hazard context to reported crime to housing and income to population change to schools and households to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Duluth, city-specific coverage includes within-city Census tract profiles, local building permits, matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
1. Within-city variation
What can 9 Census tracts reveal inside Duluth?
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.
What does the journey to work look like in Duluth?
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 71.7%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 40.6°F, with 31.2 inches of precipitation and 90.2 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.
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.
Which cities make useful reference points for Duluth?
Within Minnesota, the closest population matches are Bloomington (88,838 residents, $90,677 income); Brooklyn Park (84,349 residents, $85,964 income); Plymouth (79,526 residents, $133,865 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Ogden, UT (86,973 residents); Deerfield Beach, FL (86,742 residents); Citrus Heights, CA (87,036 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.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Duluth?
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 3173.8 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 39% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
2954.4
Violent rate
219.3
Total reported rate
3173.8
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
How far does income reach against housing in Duluth?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.4 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 7.5%, 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.
Household income
$66,263
Home value
$225,700
Value / income
3.4×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +1,452 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +1.7% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 402 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
+1.7%
2025 estimate
88,330
2020 estimate
86,878
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
The NCES join finds 31 public schools within the city match. 42.3% 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.
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
31
Bachelor's degree+
42.3%
Poverty estimate
7.5%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Below median income · poverty 7.5% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
98.6 (US=100)
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Minnesota average
C-
City profile score · Duluth, MN
51/100
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.
Bachelor's+ share B+
42.3%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate C-
7.5%
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
219 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Household income D
$66,263
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Duluth profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 77/100 (B+) · 42.3%
Poverty rate: 50/100 (C-) · 7.5%
Cost of living: 46/100 (D) · 98.6 index
Violent crime: 45/100 (D) · 219 /100k
Household income: 44/100 (D) · $66,263
Where Duluth sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Duluth'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 - Duluth highlighted among 11 peers.Read the chart values
Duluth, MN (this city): home $225,700, crime 3,174/100k
Ogden, UT : home $311,300, crime 2,431/100k
Citrus Heights, CA : home $432,100, crime 2,566/100k
Manteca, CA : home $561,200, crime 1,816/100k
Troy, MI : home $396,800, crime 1,392/100k
Bloomington, MN : home $346,200, crime 3,776/100k
Brooklyn Park, MN : home $313,500, crime 2,770/100k
Plymouth, MN : home $474,700, crime 1,075/100k
Woodbury, MN : home $434,900, crime 1,279/100k
Lakeville, MN : home $425,200, crime 648/100k
Blaine, MN : home $327,500, crime 1,500/100k
How does Duluth compare to other US cities?
Duluth measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income45% higher than other cities
Home value50% pricier than other cities
Median rent36% pricier than other cities
Safety14% 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: Duluth ranks #216 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 Duluth 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 Duluth near the bottom of Minnesota's cities
Among the 785 Minnesota cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Duluth ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Duluth only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#414 of 775
47th percentile in Minnesota
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 785
0th percentile in Minnesota
Median Home Value
#261 of 774
66th percentile in Minnesota
Poverty Rate
#284 of 785
63rd percentile in Minnesota
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#93 of 784
88th 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
45th percentile nationally for median household income · 14th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Duluth's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Duluth'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 Duluth's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$225,700Among the most affordablemore affordable than 50% 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
Duluth's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.4×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#8,596 of 15,516
More affordable than 45% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#193 of 750
Mid-size cities (50,000–199,999)
At 3.4×, Duluth sits in the moderate band:
national rank #8,596 of 15,516 and #193 of 750mid-size cities (50,000–199,999).
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
$66,263Duluth, MN median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Duluth, 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 Duluth, MN.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)42.3%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)7.5%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)62.3%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
86,863
Median Income
$66,263
Median Home Value
$225,700
Median Age
35.2
Poverty Rate
7.5%
Labor force participation
62.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
42.3%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
3173.8
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
219.3
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2954.4
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
31.2"
Annual Snowfall
90.2"
Schools
Total Schools
31
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Duluth's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
86,878 residents
2021
86,722 residents
2022
87,740 residents
2023
87,781 residents
2024
88,129 residents
2025
88,330 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Slowing
Total Permits (2024)
402
housing units authorized
Single-Family
60
detached homes
Multifamily
342
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
4.6
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
440
70
370
$76.7M
2020
195
31
164
$27.6M
2021
141
67
74
$18.8M
2022
254
67
187
$44.1M
2023
326
46
280
$67.3M
2024
402
60
342
$98.3M
Permit volume decreased 9% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
71.7%
Carpool
7.4%
Public Transit
3.0%
Walk
4.5%
Work from Home
11.7%
Other
1.7%
Based on 45,071 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 Duluth. 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 Duluth 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 Duluth sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Duluth 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.