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Place dossier plate
SheetMN-FAIRMONT-MN · Fairmont, MN 10,348 pop · income 34th pct · 7 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 Fairmont
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Fairmont on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Galion · lowest
45,377
Galion · lowest
45,377 median HH income
23.5% of the leader · rank #1
Parma Heights · near
59,218
Parma Heights · near
59,218 median HH income
30.7% of the leader · rank #2
Arp · near
59,219
Arp · near
59,219 median HH income
30.7% of the leader · rank #3
Cusseta-Chatt… · near
59,221
Cusseta-Chatt… · near
59,221 median HH income
30.7% of the leader · rank #4
Fairmont · this city
59,228
Fairmont · this city
59,228 median HH income
30.7% of the leader · rank #5
Yakima · near
59,228
Yakima · near
59,228 median HH income
30.7% of the leader · rank #6
Victoria · highest
192,821
Victoria · highest
192,821 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 Fairmont 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: 10,348.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Fairmont - the verdict
Nationally, Fairmont sits in the 34th percentile for household income and the 40th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
34th
percentile, household income
33rd
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: Fairmont, MN
Fairmont is a small town in Minnesota, home to 10,348 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Households in Fairmont report a median income of $59,228 per year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 5.5%. Typical homes in Fairmont are valued around $168,800, and the median resident age is 46.5 years. About 26.1% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 61.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 7 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Building Boom), up 133% from five years earlier. Fairmont reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 1690.8 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). NOAA puts Fairmont's yearly average temperature at 46.1°F with 33.5 inches of precipitation per year.
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. 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 Fairmont workers runs 14.1 minutes, with 82.0% driving alone and 7.0% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 42.4 out of 100 (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Fairmont'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 schools and households to work and mobility to reported crime to climate and hazard context to comparison shortlist to population change to within-city variation to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Fairmont, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, commute-mode shares, local building permits, matched public-school count, FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
Question 1
What does the education layer cover for Fairmont?
The NCES join finds 6 public schools within the city match. 26.1% 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.
What does the journey to work look like in Fairmont?
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 82.0%. The reported mean trip to work is 14.1 minutes.
Which cities make useful reference points for Fairmont?
Within Minnesota, the closest population matches are Hermantown (10,192 residents, $92,026 income); Little Canada (10,546 residents, $71,370 income); Detroit Lakes (10,002 residents, $62,123 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Tipp City, OH (10,344 residents); Galion, OH (10,358 residents); Farmersville, CA (10,336 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.
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.
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 Fairmont?
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 1690.8 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.
Property rate
1395.9
Violent rate
294.9
Total reported rate
1690.8
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 46.1°F, with 33.5 inches of precipitation. 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.
Mean temperature
46.1°F
Annual precipitation
33.5 in
FEMA risk index (state avg)
42.4
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
Is Fairmont 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 -345 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -3.3% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 7 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
-3.3%
2025 estimate
10,099
2020 estimate
10,444
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
How far does income reach against housing in Fairmont?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 2.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 5.5%, 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
$59,228
Home value
$168,800
Value / income
2.9×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Below median income · poverty 5.5% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
98.6 (US=100)
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Minnesota average
D
City profile score · Fairmont, MN
44/100
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+
5.5%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share C-
26.1%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; 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.
Violent crime F
295 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Household income F
$59,228
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Fairmont profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Poverty rate: 62/100 (C+) · 5.5%
Bachelor's+ share: 51/100 (C-) · 26.1%
Cost of living: 46/100 (D) · 98.6 index
Violent crime: 34/100 (F) · 295 /100k
Household income: 33/100 (F) · $59,228
Where Fairmont sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Fairmont'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 - Fairmont highlighted among 8 peers.Read the chart values
Fairmont, MN (this city): home $168,800, crime 1,691/100k
Galion, OH : home $100,900, crime 771/100k
Farmersville, CA : home $237,700, crime 1,501/100k
New Richmond, WI : home $269,000, crime 1,019/100k
Fort Oglethorpe, GA : home $186,500, crime 3,128/100k
Hermantown, MN : home $374,000, crime 2,638/100k
Detroit Lakes, MN : home $246,200, crime 1,715/100k
Cambridge, MN : home $234,800, crime 1,759/100k
How does Fairmont compare to other US cities?
Fairmont measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income34% higher than other cities
Home value33% 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, Fairmont ranks #171 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 Fairmont 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 Fairmont near the bottom of Minnesota's cities
Among the 785 Minnesota cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Fairmont ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Fairmont only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#537 of 775
31st percentile in Minnesota
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 785
0th percentile in Minnesota
Median Home Value
#402 of 774
48th percentile in Minnesota
Poverty Rate
#387 of 785
50th percentile in Minnesota
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#265 of 784
66th 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
34th percentile nationally for median household income · 40th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Fairmont's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Fairmont'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 Fairmont's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$168,800Among the most affordablemore affordable than 67% 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
Fairmont's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.9×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#5,861 of 15,516
More affordable than 62% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#704 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 2.9×, Fairmont sits in the affordable band:
national rank #5,861 of 15,516 and #704 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
$59,228Fairmont, MN median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Fairmont, 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 Fairmont, MN.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)26.1%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)5.5%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)61.0%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
10,348
Median Income
$59,228
Median Home Value
$168,800
Median Age
46.5
Poverty Rate
5.5%
Labor force participation
61.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
26.1%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1690.8
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
294.9
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1395.9
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
46.1°F
Annual Precipitation
33.5"
Annual Snowfall
N/A
Schools
Total Schools
6
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Fairmont's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
10,444 residents
2021
10,402 residents
2022
10,265 residents
2023
10,271 residents
2024
10,176 residents
2025
10,099 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
7
housing units authorized
Single-Family
3
detached homes
Multifamily
4
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.7
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
3
3
0
$0.9M
2020
4
4
0
$1.1M
2021
5
5
0
$1.3M
2022
4
4
0
$1.5M
2023
0
0
0
-
2024
7
3
4
$1.7M
Permit volume increased 133% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
14.1 minutes
Drive Alone
82.0%
Carpool
5.1%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
3.6%
Work from Home
7.0%
Other
2.3%
Based on 5,018 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 Fairmont. 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 Fairmont 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 Fairmont sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Fairmont 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.