Scores by category

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

Safety95#777/15,637
Economy69#4,830/15,631
Housing78#3,339/14,977
Health78#3,387/15,609
Healthcare30#11,022/15,650
Environment84#2,531/15,453
Education46#8,426/15,649
Infrastructure57#6,721/15,650
Community97#486/15,651
Leisure & amenities99#84/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Baudette, Minnesota ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Lake of the Woods 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

Social associations · high31.8 /10k
100/100Minnesota 12.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLake of the Woods County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high31.8 /10k
100/100Minnesota 6.8 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLake of the Woods County value
Suicide rate · low0.0 /100k
100/100Minnesota 13.8 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100k2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionLake of the Woods County value
Firearm deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Minnesota 9.4 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100k2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionLake of the Woods County value
Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Minnesota 15.7 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100k2024Centers for Disease Control and PreventionLake of the Woods County value
Gyms and fitness centers · high2.7 /10k
98/100Minnesota 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLake of the Woods County value

Weaknesses

Flu vaccinations · low21.0%
1/100Minnesota 50.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLake of the Woods County value
Reading scores · low2.47
2/100Minnesota 3.12United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLake of the Woods County value
Mental health providers · low26 /100k
2/100Minnesota 383 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLake of the Woods County value
Distance to an airport · high160 mi
2/100Minnesota 43 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauLake of the Woods County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100Minnesota 5.6 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyLake of the Woods County value
Mental health care shortage · high19.0
4/100Minnesota 8.0United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationLake of the Woods County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
1,030 (2015-2019) → 1,139 (2020-2024)
+11%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedImproving
1.0 /1k (2021) → 4.4 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+349%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
46.2% (2015-2019) → 90.3% (2020-2024)
+44 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$30,132 (2015-2019) → $71,061 (2020-2024)
+136%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
16.9% (2015-2019) → 42.5% (2020-2024)
+26 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Child poverty rateImproving
30.2% (2015-2019) → 5.5% (2020-2024)
−25 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%

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, Baudette, Minnesota improved on 4 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 7 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.

Improved4

Household income+136%$30,132 → $71,061
Broadband+44 points46.2% → 90.3%
Bachelor's++26 points16.9% → 42.5%
Poverty−15 points19.2% → 3.7%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Baudette, Minnesota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	13.6 min2015-2019	10.3 min2020-2024	−3.3 min	Within the margin of error	81%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.9%2015-2019	42.5%2020-2024	+26 points	Improved	100%
Broadband subscriptions	46.2%2015-2019	90.3%2020-2024	+44 points	Improved	100%
Effective property tax rate	1.02%2015-2019	0.91%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	37%
High school diploma or higher	93.8%2015-2019	96.0%2020-2024	+2.2 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Home price to income ratio	3.1×2015-2019	2.4×2020-2024	−0.7×	Within the margin of error	96%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4242015-2019	0.4142020-2024	−0.010	Within the margin of error	59%
Median household income	$30,1322015-2019	$71,0612020-2024	+136%	Improved	100%
Poverty rate	19.2%2015-2019	3.7%2020-2024	−15 points	Improved	98%
Rent as share of income	28.1%2015-2019	25.5%2020-2024	−2.6 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Rent-burdened households	40.7%2015-2019	44.0%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Within the margin of error	44%

“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 Baudette, Minnesota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Baudette, 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, Baudette, Minnesota itself moved +20.1 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

1,139 residents (±206)

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

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

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

Table view

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

Race and Hispanic origin

1,139 residents (±206)

Baudette, Minnesota
Minnesota share

White87%994
Black0.1%†1
Hispanic or Latino0.8%†9

Education

830 residents (±153)

Baudette, Minnesota
Minnesota share

No high school diploma4.0%†33
High school or GED26%213
Some college17%†139

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

598 households (±131)

Baudette, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $25k14%†86
$25k–50k15%†91
$50k–75k25%†147
$75k–100k9.5%†57
$100k–150k17%†100
$150k–200k5.5%†33
$200k or more14%†84

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−30.4 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 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

598 households (±131)

Baudette, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Own64%385
Rent36%†213

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

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

Table view

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

Rent paid

207 households (±64)

Baudette, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $75031%†64
$750–1,00031%†64
$1,000–1,50038%†79

Home values

385 homes (±104)

Baudette, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $150k34%†132
$150k–250k37%†144
$250k–400k21%†80

Age of homes

689 homes (±123)

Baudette, Minnesota
Minnesota share

2010 or later19%†133
2000–20099.9%†68
1980–199924%†164

Size of homes

689 homes (±123)

Baudette, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom19%†133
2 bedrooms28%†192

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

641 workers (±156)

Baudette, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Drive alone76%488
Carpool13%†83
Public transit0.0%0
Walk5.5%†35
Bike2.2%†14
Work from home3.3%†21
Other0.0%0

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† 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

620 workers (±151)

Baudette, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under 15 min81%501
15–29 min8.2%†51
30–44 min5.3%†33

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

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 Lake of the Woods County, the county holding most of Baudette's residents.

Lake of the Woods County has 154 employer establishments, 406 for every 10,000 residents (1.64× the US rate of 248; 1.51× Minnesota's), with 1,352 paid employees at an average annual pay of $66,010. The Census Bureau also counts 375 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 154; 375 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 406; US 248 · Minnesota 268
Paid employees: 1,352
Average annual pay: $66,010; US $68,342

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

Traveler accommodation	14	36.9	20.5×More than typical	73	$24,616	9
RV parks and recreational camps	12	31.6	133.5×More than typical	196	$29,240	4
Specialty trade contractors	10	26.4	1.70×More than typical	16	$80,688	45
Religious organizations	8	21.1	3.80×Too few to compare	9	$20,556	—
Restaurants and other eating places	8	21.1	1.15×Too few to compare	85	$19,718	—
Truck transportation	8	21.1	4.17×Too few to compare	37	$50,757	9
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	7	18.5	6.94×Too few to compare	38	$25,263	22
Other amusement and recreation industries	7	18.5	7.61×Too few to compare	38	$25,263	21
Full-service restaurants	6	15.8	2.06×Too few to compare	50	$23,840	—
Ambulatory health care services	5	13.2	0.63×Too few to compare	22	$114,864	6
Lessors of real estate	5	13.2	1.07×Too few to compare	5	$32,800	35
Automotive repair and maintenance	4	10.5	2.09×Too few to compare	18	$34,000	14

Rank places for an industry Open Lake of the Woods County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 3,792 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 $1,318 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Baudette, Minnesota: $1.16 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $1,318; +348% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1.16; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Environmental Protection Agency$1,368100%

Top recipients

HELIOTECH$1,368100%
DAWSON ENTERPRISES, INC.-$50.130.0%

Spending by fiscal year

716.9FY2017
97.3FY2018
747.1FY2019
3.3KFY2020
820.5FY2021
5.2KFY2022
682FY2023
63.6FY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$1,368100%

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 Baudette, Minnesota, so they do not add up across cities.

Baudette, Minnesota's figures are part of those of Lake of the Woods County, MN ($115K in FY2026), never added to them: 1.1% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Baudette is mostly in Lake of the Woods County.

See federal money in Lake of the Woods 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.

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

House

Pete StauberR-MN-8 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 1.6%

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.

Lake of the Woods County85100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Lake of the Woods 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/2704024

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends