City profile · Minnesota · Census ACS 2023

Luverne, MN

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

4,907
Residents
$66,145
Median income
$181,100
Median home
$1,125
Median rent (state)
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State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Luverne.

Place dossier plate

Sheet MN-LUVERNE-MN · Luverne, MN 4,907 pop · income 45th pct · 3 tracts

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

  • POP-VILLAGE 4,907
  • INC-MID $66,145
  • COL-PAR 98.6
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-MID 45th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Wills Point
  • HOME-LOW $181,100
  • BOOK-FEW 3 tracts

Nearest income peer: Wills Point, TX ( $1 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 Luverne

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Luverne 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 Luverne 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: 4,907.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $66,145. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Luverne - the verdict

Luverne ranks in the 45th percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.

45th
percentile, household income
37th
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: Luverne, MN

4,907 people live in Luverne, Minnesota - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Households in Luverne report a median income of $66,145 per year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 4.6%. Typical homes in Luverne are valued around $181,100, and the median resident age is 38.2 years. 29.9% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 66.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

In 2024, 56 residential building permits were authorized in Luverne (Building Boom), up 600% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data.

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. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Minnesota's average monthly utility costs around $225 (state average). 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 Luverne'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 housing and income to within-city variation to population change to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

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

1. Schools and households

What does the education layer cover for Luverne?

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 4 public schools within the city match. 29.9% 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.

See how the family ranking is built →

Question 2

What does the journey to work look like in Luverne?

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 84.8%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.

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.

Compare commute patterns →

Question 3

What can 3 Census tracts reveal inside Luverne?

PlainCities matches 3 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.

Explore Luverne's tract profiles →

4. Comparison shortlist

Which cities make useful reference points for Luverne?

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.

Within Minnesota, the closest population matches are Elko New Market (4,915 residents, $147,381 income); Lindstrom (4,933 residents, $99,844 income); Becker (4,958 residents, $90,188 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Wrightwood, CA (4,907 residents); South Sarasota, FL (4,905 residents); Aberdeen, MS (4,909 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.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

Other supported questions

Why these stay compact

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.

Housing and income

How far does income reach against housing in Luverne?

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 2.7 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 4.6%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

Value / income
2.7×
Home value
$181,100
Household income
$66,145

City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Population change

Is Luverne growing, shrinking, or holding steady?

Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +50 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +1.0% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 56 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.

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.

2020 estimate
4,934
2025 estimate
4,984
Period change
+1.0%

Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.

See the national growth ranking →

Population

4,907 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$66,145 /yr

Below median income · poverty 4.6% (Below-median poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

98.6 (US=100)

Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Minnesota average

City profile score · Luverne, MN

53/100

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.

Poverty rate B-
4.6%

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

Bachelor's+ share C
29.9%

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.

Household income D
$66,145

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

Violent crime N/A
N/A

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

Luverne profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Poverty rate, Bachelor's+ share, Cost of living, Household income. Poverty rateBachelor's+ shareCost of livingHousehold income 53 C-
Luverne profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Poverty rate: 68/100 (B-) · 4.6%
  • Bachelor's+ share: 58/100 (C) · 29.9%
  • Cost of living: 46/100 (D) · 98.6 index
  • Household income: 44/100 (D) · $66,145

How does Luverne compare to other US cities?

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

Household income 45% higher than other cities
Home value 37% 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 Luverne 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 Luverne near the bottom of Minnesota's cities

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

Median Household Income
#417 of 775
46th percentile in Minnesota
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 785
0th percentile in Minnesota
Median Home Value
#363 of 774
53rd percentile in Minnesota
Poverty Rate
#453 of 785
42nd percentile in Minnesota
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#212 of 784
72nd 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.

45thIncome percentile
Gauge source note

45th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Luverne's home value compares nationally

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

$181,100 Among the most affordable more affordable than 63% 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%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). This entry sits in this band. $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. Luverne $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

Luverne's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.7×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#5,241 of 15,516
More affordable than 66% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#4,574 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 2.7×, Luverne sits in the affordable band: national rank #5,241 of 15,516 and #4,574 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

$66,145 Luverne, MN median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Luverne, MN Luverne, MN's median household income ($66,145) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Luverne, MN-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Luverne, MN median $66,145/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%
Luverne, 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 Luverne, MN.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 29.9%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 4.6%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 66.3%

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

Population
4,907
Median Income
$66,145
Median Home Value
$181,100
Median Age
38.2
Poverty Rate
4.6%
Labor force participation
66.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
29.9%

Schools

Total Schools
4
Public schools in this city

Population Change

PEP vintage

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

See the fastest-growing cities →
4,850 residents4,900 residents4,950 residents5,000 residents 202020212022202320242025 4,934 residents 4,984 residents ▲ +1.0%
Luverne's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.
Read the chart as text
Period Population
2020 4,934 residents
2021 4,941 residents
2022 4,890 residents
2023 4,948 residents
2024 4,962 residents
2025 4,984 residents

Housing Supply

BPS source

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

📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
56
housing units authorized
Single-Family
4
detached homes
Multifamily
52
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
11.4
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 8
2020 8
2021 7
2022 58
2023 54
2024 56

Permit volume increased 600% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
84.8%
Carpool
5.0%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
1.9%
Work from Home
6.7%
Other
1.6%

Based on 2,525 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 Luverne. 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 Luverne 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 Luverne sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Luverne 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
Luverne (this city) 4,907 $66,145
Elko New Market 4,915 $147,381
Lindstrom 4,933 $99,844
Becker 4,958 $90,188
NCES CCD Census BPS 2024
Primary sources on this page

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

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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