Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety66#5,367/15,637
Economy28#11,214/15,631
Housing58#6,282/14,977
Health47#8,208/15,609
Healthcare42#9,067/15,650
Environment94#991/15,453
Education36#9,982/15,649
Infrastructure29#11,106/15,650
Community76#3,736/15,651
Leisure & amenities48#8,121/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Albert Lea, Minnesota ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Freeborn County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Hospital quality rating · high5.0
98/100Minnesota 3.8United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesFreeborn County value
Social associations · high18.4 /10k
97/100Minnesota 12.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFreeborn County value
Average commute time · low17.8 min
94/100Minnesota 22.7 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Drought exposure · low4%
88/100Minnesota 36%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAFreeborn County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low6.3 µg/m³
86/100Minnesota 6.3 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyFreeborn County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low124 min
85/100Minnesota 134 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesFreeborn County value

Weaknesses

Pharmacies · low0.7 /10k
6/100Minnesota 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFreeborn County value
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.3 /10k
11/100Minnesota 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFreeborn County value
Mental health care shortage · high18.0
11/100Minnesota 8.0United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationFreeborn County value
Broadband subscriptions · low85.1%
12/100Minnesota 91.6%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
New business applications · low8.8 /1k
13/100Minnesota 12.7 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauFreeborn County value
Distance to an airport · high85 mi
15/100Minnesota 43 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauFreeborn County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

New homes permittedWorsening
3.0 /1k (2021) → 0.4 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−87%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
75.1% (2015-2019) → 85.1% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
20.0% (2015-2019) → 12.6% (2020-2024)
−7.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$47,508 (2015-2019) → $64,603 (2020-2024)
+36%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
High school diploma or higherImproving
85.0% (2015-2019) → 89.4% (2020-2024)
+4.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Income inequality (Gini index)Worsening
0.403 (2015-2019) → 0.489 (2020-2024)
+21%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Albert Lea, Minnesota improved on 3 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 3. 8 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Child poverty−7.4 points20.0% → 12.6%
Household income+36%$47,508 → $64,603
Broadband+10 points75.1% → 85.1%

Declined3

Inequality+0.0860.403 → 0.489
Uninsured+3.2 points7.4% → 10.6%
Price / income+0.4×2.0× → 2.4×

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Albert Lea, Minnesota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	16.9 min2015-2019	17.8 min2020-2024	+0.8 min	Within the margin of error	38%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.4%2015-2019	17.4%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Broadband subscriptions	75.1%2015-2019	85.1%2020-2024	+10 points	Improved	60%
Child poverty rate	20.0%2015-2019	12.6%2020-2024	−7.4 points	Improved	76%
Effective property tax rate	1.19%2015-2019	1.25%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	9%
High school diploma or higher	85.0%2015-2019	89.4%2020-2024	+4.4 points	Within the margin of error	79%
Home price to income ratio	2.0×2015-2019	2.4×2020-2024	+0.4×	Declined	55%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4032015-2019	0.4892020-2024	+0.086	Declined	6%
Median household income	$47,5082015-2019	$64,6032020-2024	+36%	Improved	67%
Poverty rate	13.5%2015-2019	12.8%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Rent as share of income	27.6%2015-2019	29.5%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Rent-burdened households	45.8%2015-2019	49.2%2020-2024	+3.4 points	Within the margin of error	43%
Unemployment rate	4.6%2015-2019	5.7%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.4%2015-2019	10.6%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Declined	18%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Albert Lea, Minnesota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Albert Lea, Minnesota in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Albert Lea, Minnesota itself moved −7.9 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

18,330 residents (±60)

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69
50–59
40–49
30–39
20–29
10–19
Under 10

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under 10 women (−2.8 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

18,330 residents (±60)

Albert Lea, Minnesota
Minnesota share

White76%13,940
Black2.3%427
Hispanic or Latino15%2,694
Asian4.9%891
American Indian and Alaska Native0.1%†13
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.2%†38
Other or two or more races1.8%†327

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: White (−2.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

13,050 residents (±256)

Albert Lea, Minnesota
Minnesota share

No high school diploma11%1,379
High school or GED33%4,367
Some college24%3,136
Associate degree15%1,899
Bachelor's degree11%1,470
Graduate degree6.1%799

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: No high school diploma (−4.4 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

7,788 households (±258)

Albert Lea, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $25k17%1,344
$25k–50k23%1,785
$50k–75k18%1,431
$75k–100k13%978
$100k–150k17%1,347
$150k–200k5.6%433
$200k or more6.0%470

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (+7.3 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

7,788 households (±258)

Albert Lea, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Own74%5,771
Rent26%2,017

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+5.0 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

1,918 households (±238)

Albert Lea, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $75036%696
$750–1,00027%†518
$1,000–1,50022%†413

Home values

5,771 homes (±261)

Albert Lea, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $150k46%2,668
$150k–250k31%1,781
$250k–400k17%954

Age of homes

8,552 homes (±186)

Albert Lea, Minnesota
Minnesota share

2010 or later2.3%†193
2000–20096.0%512
1980–199913%1,084

Size of homes

8,552 homes (±186)

Albert Lea, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Studio2.5%†211
1 bedroom9.4%807
2 bedrooms33%2,804

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

7,942 workers (±373)

Albert Lea, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Drive alone78%6,159
Carpool8.7%694
Public transit0.2%†12
Walk3.5%†274
Bike0.6%†47
Work from home7.1%563
Other2.4%†193

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (−5.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

7,379 workers (±332)

Albert Lea, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under 15 min61%4,518
15–29 min21%1,534
30–44 min8.9%†656

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Albert Lea, MN

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Freeborn County, the county holding most of Albert Lea's residents.

Freeborn County has 755 employer establishments, 248 for every 10,000 residents (1.00× the US rate of 248; 0.92× Minnesota's), with 10,861 paid employees at an average annual pay of $50,569. The Census Bureau also counts 1,961 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 755; 1,961 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 248; US 248 · Minnesota 268
Paid employees: 10,861
Average annual pay: $50,569; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Freeborn County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	56	18.4	1.19×About typical	318	$62,906	161
Restaurants and other eating places	48	15.8	0.86×About typical	755	$19,433	4
Religious organizations	39	12.8	2.31×More than typical	217	$21,410	—
Building equipment contractors	27	8.9	1.47×More than typical	246	$64,492	16
Ambulatory health care services	26	8.5	0.41×Fewer than typical	221	$48,955	41
Full-service restaurants	24	7.9	1.03×About typical	326	$19,113	—
Limited-service restaurants	23	7.5	0.94×About typical	427	$19,698	—
Lessors of real estate	21	6.9	0.56×Fewer than typical	40	$33,975	216
Truck transportation	21	6.9	1.36×More than typical	78	$44,256	99
Automotive repair and maintenance	19	6.2	1.24×About typical	118	$47,305	47
Gasoline stations	18	5.9	1.82×More than typical	323	$30,331	—
Banks and credit unions	17	5.6	1.73×More than typical	140	$62,014	—

Rank places for an industry Open Freeborn County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 30,469 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $139.2K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Albert Lea, Minnesota: $7.60 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $139.2K; +21% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7.60; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.5%; US 30%
Single offer: 1.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of Veterans Affairs$74.7K54%
Defense Logistics Agency$64.6K46%

Top recipients

AMERICAN BAPTIST HOMES OF THE MIDWEST$74.7K54%
C&J RESOLUTIONS LLC$60.5K43%
J & K SOLUTIONS LLC$4,0672.9%

Spending by fiscal year

14KFY2017
78.8KFY2018
52.5KFY2019
34.6KFY2020
38.3KFY2021
51.9KFY2022
91.3KFY2023
90.7K

Top industries (NAICS)

Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) · 6231$74.7K54%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$19.6K14%
Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing · 3344$19.3K14%
Architectural and structural metals manufacturing · 3323$12.8K9.2%
Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329$3,4002.4%
Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing · 3391

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Albert Lea, Minnesota, so they do not add up across cities.

Albert Lea, Minnesota's figures are part of those of Freeborn County, MN ($1.8M in FY2026), never added to them: 7.8% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Albert Lea is mostly in Freeborn County.

See federal money in Freeborn County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Albert Lea, Minnesota is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Brad FinstadR-MN-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 0.9%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Freeborn County77100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Albert Lea, MN73

Other cities and towns in Freeborn County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2700694

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends