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-ST-PAUL-MN · North St. Paul, MN 12,511 pop · income 63rd pct
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 St. Paul
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest North St. Paul on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Rantoul · lowest
49,821
Rantoul · lowest
49,821 median HH income
19.9% of the leader · rank #1
Summit Station · near
81,635
Summit Station · near
81,635 median HH income
32.7% of the leader · rank #2
North St. Paul · this city
81,641
North St. Paul · this city
81,641 median HH income
32.7% of the leader · rank #3
Bolivar · near
81,641
Bolivar · near
81,641 median HH income
32.7% of the leader · rank #4
Canton · near
81,642
Canton · near
81,642 median HH income
32.7% of the leader · rank #5
Perry · near
81,648
Perry · near
81,648 median HH income
32.7% of the leader · rank #6
Winnetka · highest
250,001
Winnetka · highest
250,001 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 St. Paul 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: 12,511.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
North St. Paul - the verdict
Nationally, North St. Paul sits in the 63rd percentile for household income and the 36th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
63rd
percentile, household income
63rd
percentile, home value
36th
percentile, median rent
36th
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 St. Paul, MN
North St. Paul is a small town in Minnesota, home to 12,511 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Households in North St. Paul report a median income of $81,641 per year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 9.8%. North St. Paul's housing stock carries a median value of $286,600, and the median resident age is 33.6 years. About 27.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 65.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 86 residential building permits were authorized in North St. Paul (Building Boom), up 95% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Crime here tracks close to the national norm: FBI UCR figures show 1841.4 crimes per 100,000 residents, near the national average (reporting is voluntary across agencies, so treat this as reporting activity rather than a definitive danger score).
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. 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 St. Paul'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 reported crime to population change to comparison shortlist to work and mobility to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For North St. Paul, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history, local building permits.
No matched row is reported here for matched public-school count, within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in North St. Paul?
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 1841.4 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 19% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Is North St. Paul 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 +437 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +3.5% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 86 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Which cities make useful reference points for North St. Paul?
Within Minnesota, the closest population matches are Lake Elmo (12,504 residents, $153,407 income); Cloquet (12,582 residents, $63,854 income); Vadnais Heights (12,789 residents, $91,946 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Winnetka, IL (12,508 residents); Rantoul, IL (12,515 residents); Ridge, NY (12,506 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.
What does the journey to work look like in North St. Paul?
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 76.2%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
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 St. Paul?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.5 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 9.8%, 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
$81,641
Home value
$286,600
Value / income
3.5×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Above median income · poverty 9.8% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
98.6 (US=100)
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Minnesota average
C-
City profile score · North St. Paul, MN
50/100
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 C+
$81,641
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share C-
27.7%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime D
188 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger 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.
Poverty rate D
9.8%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
North St. Paul profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 61/100 (C+) · $81,641
Bachelor's+ share: 54/100 (C-) · 27.7%
Violent crime: 49/100 (D) · 188 /100k
Cost of living: 46/100 (D) · 98.6 index
Poverty rate: 40/100 (D) · 9.8%
Where North St. Paul sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
North St. Paul'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 St. Paul highlighted among 27 peers.Read the chart values
North St. Paul, MN (this city): home $286,600, crime 1,841/100k
Winnetka, IL : home $1,206,300, crime 740/100k
Rantoul, IL : home $109,200, crime 2,324/100k
Haddonfield, NJ : home $708,800, crime 1,571/100k
Cloquet, MN : home $200,100, crime 700/100k
St. Peter, MN : home $238,700, crime 631/100k
Mounds View, MN : home $294,500, crime 1,265/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does North St. Paul compare to other US cities?
North St. Paul measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income63% higher than other cities
Home value63% pricier than other cities
Median rent36% pricier than other cities
Safety36% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Minnesota alone, North St. Paul ranks #181 of 229 Minnesota cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares North St. Paul 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 St. Paul near the bottom of Minnesota's cities
Among the 785 Minnesota cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, North St. Paul ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares North St. Paul only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#247 of 775
68th percentile in Minnesota
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 785
0th percentile in Minnesota
Median Home Value
#163 of 774
79th percentile in Minnesota
Poverty Rate
#205 of 785
73rd percentile in Minnesota
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#240 of 784
69th 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
63rd percentile nationally for median household income · 36th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
North St. Paul's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
North St. Paul'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 St. Paul's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$286,60037th percentilemore affordable than 37% 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 St. Paul's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.5×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#9,001 of 15,516
More affordable than 42% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,494 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 3.5×, North St. Paul sits in the moderate band:
national rank #9,001 of 15,516 and #1,494 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
$81,641North St. Paul, MN median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context North St. Paul, 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 St. Paul, MN.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)27.7%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)9.8%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)65.9%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
12,511
Median Income
$81,641
Median Home Value
$286,600
Median Age
33.6
Poverty Rate
9.8%
Labor force participation
65.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
27.7%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1841.4
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
188.1
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1653.3
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.
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
North St. Paul's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
12,343 residents
2021
12,607 residents
2022
12,664 residents
2023
12,611 residents
2024
12,616 residents
2025
12,780 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
86
housing units authorized
Single-Family
2
detached homes
Multifamily
84
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
6.9
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
44
44
0
$9.4M
2020
251
34
217
$37.5M
2021
158
30
128
$23.6M
2022
24
8
16
$4.4M
2023
11
11
0
$3.6M
2024
86
2
84
$15.7M
Permit volume increased 95% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
76.2%
Carpool
9.1%
Public Transit
2.0%
Walk
0.2%
Work from Home
11.2%
Other
1.3%
Based on 6,117 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 St. Paul. 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 St. Paul 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 St. Paul sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How North St. Paul 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, 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.