City profile · Minnesota · Census ACS 2023

St. Paul, MN

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for St. Paul — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

307,762
Residents
$73,055
Median income
$280,300
Median home
$1,125
Median rent

Data Snapshot: St. Paul, MN

St. Paul is a city in Minnesota with a population of 307,762 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $73,055 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 11.3%. Typical homes in St. Paul are valued around $280,300, and the median resident age is 33.5 years. About 43.5% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 67.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 404 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 74% from five years earlier. FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 3451.8 incidents per 1,000 residents, above the national average, indicating elevated public-safety concerns.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Minnesota registers 98.6 (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. Average monthly utility bills run around $225 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. Workers in St. Paul report an average commute of 18.2 minutes, with 59.3% driving alone and 18.3% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 42.4 out of 100 (Low).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

307,762 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Minnesota

Median Household Income

$73,055 /yr

Poverty 11.3%

Cost of Living Index

98.6 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does St. Paul compare to other US cities?

Where St. Paul sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 54% higher than other cities
Home value 62% pricier than other cities
Median rent 36% pricier than other cities
Safety 11% safer than other cities

Percentiles compare St. Paul against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — St. Paul, MN Quintile shares of aggregate household income for St. Paul, MN. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution St. Paul, MN — median $73,055/yr — Census ACS quintile shares 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%
Household income distribution for St. Paul, MN — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 43.5%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 11.3%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 67.0%

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

Population
307,762
Median Income
$73,055
Median Home Value
$280,300
Median Age
33.5
Poverty Rate
11.3%
Labor force participation
67.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
43.5%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
3451.8
per 1,000 residents
Violent Crime
617.7
per 1,000 residents
Property Crime
2834.1
per 1,000 residents

Housing Supply

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

📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
404
housing units authorized
Single-Family
75
detached homes
Multifamily
329
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1.3
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 1,575
2020 2,077
2021 2,120
2022 1,169
2023 1,204
2024 404

Permit volume decreased 74% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
18.2 minutes
Drive Alone
59.3%
Carpool
10.0%
Public Transit
6.5%
Walk
3.7%
Work from Home
18.3%
Other
2.2%

Based on 159,623 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Minnesota — EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$95
avg/month
Natural Gas
$85
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$45
avg/month
Total Utilities
$225
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Minnesota state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Minnesota state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
98.6
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,125/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
42.4 / 100
Low
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — St. Paul, MN Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition St. Paul, MN — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How St. Paul compares to nearby Minnesota cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (St. Paul) plus the nearest peer cities in Minnesota, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

MN

St. Paul

73.06% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$73,055
Brackets
308
Selected

MN

Minneapolis

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$42,680
Brackets
427
Selected

MN

Rochester

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$12,160
Brackets
122
Selected

MN

Bloomington

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$8,880
Brackets
89
Census ACS 5-year FIPS MN FBI UCR Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about St. Paul, MN?

What is the population of St. Paul, MN? +

St. Paul, MN has a population of 307,762 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in St. Paul, MN? +

The median household income in St. Paul is $73,055 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in St. Paul? +

St. Paul has a cost of living index of 98.6 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

Is St. Paul, MN safe? +

St. Paul has a total crime rate of 3451.8 per 1,000 residents, which is above the national average. Source: FBI UCR data.

What is the median home value in St. Paul, MN? +

The median home value in St. Paul is $280,300, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

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.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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