City · Isanti County, Minnesota

Braham, Minnesota

Braham is a city in Isanti County, Minnesota, part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area. It has 1,732 residents. Braham, Minnesota has a quality-of-life score of 55 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #7,003 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Minnesota it ranks #351 of 364 cities and towns. It ranks best on voter turnout (high), violent crime rate (low) and homicide rate (low). It ranks worst on access to exercise opportunities (low), bachelor's degree or higher (low) and gyms and fitness centers (low).

55Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #7,003 of 15,651 cities and towns
Minnesota: #351 of 364 in MN
Population: 1,732 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 1,065.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 2707282

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

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

Safety88#1,830/15,637
Economy30#10,944/15,631
Housing54#6,916/14,977
Health46#8,372/15,609
Healthcare66#5,262/15,650
Environment94#928/15,453
Education47#8,271/15,649
Infrastructure15#13,269/15,650
Community72#4,385/15,651
Leisure & amenities7#14,618/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Braham, Minnesota ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Isanti 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

Voter turnout · high80.4%
96/100Minnesota 77.0%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionIsanti County value
Violent crime rate · low59 /100k
95/100Minnesota 224 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationIsanti County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Minnesota 2.9 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataIsanti County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.8 µg/m³
92/100Minnesota 6.3 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyIsanti County value
High school diploma or higher · high88.6%
92/100Minnesota 93.9%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Primary care shortage · low0.0
90/100Minnesota 4.3United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationIsanti County value

Weaknesses

Access to exercise opportunities · low40.1%
5/100Minnesota 86.4%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteIsanti County value
Bachelor's degree or higher · low9.7%
6/100Minnesota 39.4%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.2 /10k
9/100Minnesota 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsIsanti County value
Grocery stores · low0.9 /10k
10/100Minnesota 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsIsanti County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.9 /10k
10/100Minnesota 5.6 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyIsanti County value
Adult smoking · high19.9%
13/100Minnesota 15.9%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Trends

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

Child poverty rateImproving
34.4% (2015-2019) → 23.0% (2020-2024)
−11 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
75.4% (2015-2019) → 84.4% (2020-2024)
+9.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Poverty rateImproving
25.1% (2015-2019) → 16.1% (2020-2024)
−8.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$45,966 (2015-2019) → $59,375 (2020-2024)
+29%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Unemployment rateImproving
10.8% (2015-2019) → 5.0% (2020-2024)
−5.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
14.4% (2015-2019) → 9.7% (2020-2024)
−4.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

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, Braham, Minnesota improved on 3 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 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

Poverty−8.9 points25.1% → 16.1%
Broadband+9.1 points75.4% → 84.4%
Household income+29%$45,966 → $59,375

Declined1

Bachelor's+−4.6 points14.4% → 9.7%

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Braham, Minnesota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	32.6 min2015-2019	29.6 min2020-2024	−3.0 min	Within the margin of error	79%
Bachelor's degree or higher	14.4%2015-2019	9.7%2020-2024	−4.6 points	Declined	8%
Broadband subscriptions	75.4%2015-2019	84.4%2020-2024	+9.1 points	Improved	55%
Child poverty rate	34.4%2015-2019	23.0%2020-2024	−11 points	Within the margin of error	85%
High school diploma or higher	87.9%2015-2019	88.5%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	41%
Home price to income ratio	2.7×2015-2019	3.3×2020-2024	+0.6×	Within the margin of error	43%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4522015-2019	0.3922020-2024	−0.061	Within the margin of error	88%
Median household income	$45,9662015-2019	$59,3752020-2024	+29%	Improved	53%
Poverty rate	25.1%2015-2019	16.1%2020-2024	−8.9 points	Improved	91%
Rent as share of income	29.4%2015-2019	28.7%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	61%
Rent-burdened households	47.8%2015-2019	46.9%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.1%2015-2019	4.8%2020-2024	−2.3 points	Within the margin of error	72%

“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 Braham, Minnesota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Braham, 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, Braham, Minnesota itself moved +3.7 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

1,732 residents (±279)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

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

Household income

687 households (±80)

Braham, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $25k24%†165
$25k–50k18%123
$50k–75k21%145

Homes

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

Owners and renters

687 households (±80)

Braham, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Own69%475
Rent31%212

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

703 workers (±121)

Braham, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Drive alone82%579
Carpool9.1%†64
Public transit0.1%†1

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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI

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 Isanti County, the county holding most of Braham's residents.

Isanti County has 1,004 employer establishments, 232 for every 10,000 residents (0.94× the US rate of 248; 0.87× Minnesota's), with 9,859 paid employees at an average annual pay of $45,392. The Census Bureau also counts 3,021 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,004; 3,021 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 232; US 248 · Minnesota 268
Paid employees: 9,859
Average annual pay: $45,392; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	152	35.2	2.27×More than typical	615	$66,816	346
Construction of buildings	53	12.3	1.62×More than typical	197	$58,477	148
Restaurants and other eating places	48	11.1	0.61×Fewer than typical	998	$18,991	8
Ambulatory health care services	45	10.4	0.50×Fewer than typical	318	$70,116	100
Building equipment contractors	41	9.5	1.58×More than typical	248	$69,601	52
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	40	9.3	2.94×More than typical	141	$66,057	75
Other specialty trade contractors	38	8.8	3.50×More than typical	96	$92,156	98
Lessors of real estate	37	8.6	0.70×Fewer than typical	49	$47,673	246
Religious organizations	36	8.3	1.50×More than typical	191	$20,141	—
Truck transportation	36	8.3	1.65×More than typical	75	$82,227	96
Building finishing contractors	33	7.6	2.01×More than typical	130	$43,615	121
Automotive repair and maintenance	31	7.2	1.43×More than typical	114	$44,070	59

Rank places for an industry Open Isanti County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 43,198 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Braham, Minnesota: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0; −100% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

35.8FY2025

What was bought

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

Braham, Minnesota's figures are part of those of Isanti County, MN and Kanabec County, MN ($1.3M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Isanti 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.

Braham, 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.

Isanti County79100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI93

Other cities and towns in Isanti 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/2707282

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends