Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.
Place dossier plate
SheetMN-NORTH-BRANCH-MN · North Branch, MN 11,182 pop · income 71st pct · 13 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 North Branch
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest North Branch on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Sebring · lowest
42,072
Sebring · lowest
42,072 median HH income
21.8% of the leader · rank #1
Robbins · near
90,375
Robbins · near
90,375 median HH income
46.9% of the leader · rank #2
Jonestown · near
90,375
Jonestown · near
90,375 median HH income
46.9% of the leader · rank #3
Georgetown · near
90,381
Georgetown · near
90,381 median HH income
46.9% of the leader · rank #4
North Branch · this city
90,383
North Branch · this city
90,383 median HH income
46.9% of the leader · rank #5
Jefferson · near
90,391
Jefferson · near
90,391 median HH income
46.9% 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 North Branch 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: 11,182.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
North Branch - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, North Branch places in the 71st percentile for household income and the 94th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
71st
percentile, household income
64th
percentile, home value
36th
percentile, median rent
94th
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: North Branch, MN
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 11,182 residents in North Branch, a small town within Minnesota. North Branch households earn a median of $90,383 annually, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 4.8%. Typical homes in North Branch are valued around $290,600, and the median resident age is 38.6 years. About 19.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 64.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 115 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 135% from five years earlier. North Branch reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 263.7 incidents per 100,000 residents, below the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
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. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,125 per month. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Minnesota's average monthly utility costs around $225 (state average). 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 North Branch'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 population change to housing and income to work and mobility to reported crime to within-city variation to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For North Branch, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates, matched public-school count, local building permits, 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 North Branch?
The NCES join finds 9 public schools within the city match. 19.4% 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.
Is North Branch growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
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 +1,543 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +14.2% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 115 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
What can 13 Census tracts reveal inside North Branch?
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.
PlainCities matches 13 Census tracts to this city.
Which cities make useful reference points for North Branch?
Within Minnesota, the closest population matches are Grand Rapids (11,186 residents, $56,542 income); Victoria (10,972 residents, $192,821 income); Mendota Heights (11,644 residents, $132,935 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Sebring, FL (11,185 residents); Collegedale, TN (11,185 residents); Prineville, OR (11,187 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.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in North Branch?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.2 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 4.8%, 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
$90,383
Home value
$290,600
Value / income
3.2×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
What does the journey to work look like in North Branch?
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 81.5%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Public transit
0.1%
Work from home
6.6%
Drive alone
81.5%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 5,681 workers age 16+.
What can the FBI record say about safety in North Branch?
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 263.7 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 88% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
156.5
Violent rate
107.1
Total reported rate
263.7
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Above median income · poverty 4.8% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
98.6 (US=100)
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Minnesota average
C
City profile score · North Branch, MN
59/100
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.
Household income B
$90,383
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime B-
107 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Poverty rate B-
4.8%
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.
Bachelor's+ share F
19.4%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
North Branch profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 70/100 (B) · $90,383
Violent crime: 69/100 (B-) · 107 /100k
Poverty rate: 67/100 (B-) · 4.8%
Cost of living: 46/100 (D) · 98.6 index
Bachelor's+ share: 33/100 (F) · 19.4%
Where North Branch sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
North Branch'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 - North Branch highlighted among 8 peers.Read the chart values
North Branch, MN (this city): home $290,600, crime 264/100k
Collegedale, TN : home $332,700, crime 845/100k
Prineville, OR : home $364,600, crime 971/100k
Monmouth, OR : home $380,500, crime 1,079/100k
Petal, MS : home $161,400, crime 522/100k
Grand Rapids, MN : home $200,600, crime 1,121/100k
Mendota Heights, MN : home $504,100, crime 1,070/100k
Fairmont, MN : home $168,800, crime 1,691/100k
How does North Branch compare to other US cities?
Where North Branch sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income71% higher than other cities
Home value64% pricier than other cities
Median rent36% pricier than other cities
Safety94% 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: North Branch ranks #39 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 North Branch 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 North Branch near the bottom of Minnesota's cities
Among the 785 Minnesota cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, North Branch ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares North Branch only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#183 of 775
76th percentile in Minnesota
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 785
0th percentile in Minnesota
Median Home Value
#158 of 774
80th percentile in Minnesota
Poverty Rate
#439 of 785
43rd percentile in Minnesota
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#429 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
71st percentile nationally for median household income · 94th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
North Branch's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
North Branch'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 North Branch's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$290,60036th percentilemore affordable than 36% 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
North Branch's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.2×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#7,766 of 15,516
More affordable than 50% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,196 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 3.2×, North Branch sits in the moderate band:
national rank #7,766 of 15,516 and #1,196 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
$90,383North Branch, MN median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context North Branch, 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 North Branch, MN.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)19.4%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)4.8%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)64.4%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
11,182
Median Income
$90,383
Median Home Value
$290,600
Median Age
38.6
Poverty Rate
4.8%
Labor force participation
64.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
19.4%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
263.7
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
107.1
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
156.5
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.
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
North Branch's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
10,855 residents
2021
11,200 residents
2022
11,574 residents
2023
11,976 residents
2024
12,248 residents
2025
12,398 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
115
housing units authorized
Single-Family
115
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
10.3
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
49
49
0
$8.4M
2020
113
113
0
$19.3M
2021
205
101
104
$30.6M
2022
136
64
72
$18.2M
2023
98
98
0
$15.6M
2024
115
115
0
$20.0M
Permit volume increased 135% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
81.5%
Carpool
8.6%
Public Transit
0.1%
Walk
0.7%
Work from Home
6.6%
Other
2.5%
Based on 5,681 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 North Branch. 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 North Branch 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 North Branch sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How North Branch 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, 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.