City · Cook County, Minnesota

Grand Marais, Minnesota

Grand Marais is a city in Cook County, Minnesota. It has 1,796 residents. Grand Marais, Minnesota has a quality-of-life score of 93 out of 100 (very high), ranking #1,035 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Minnesota it ranks #80 of 364 cities and towns. It ranks best on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low), grocery stores (high) and arts, entertainment and recreation (high). It ranks worst on comfortable days (low), distance to an airport (high) and pharmacies (low).

93Very high

Quality-of-life score: #1,035 of 15,651 cities and towns
Minnesota: #80 of 364 in MN
Population: 1,796 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 617.4 /mi²
FIPS code: 2724992

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 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.

Safety87#2,105/15,637
Economy61#6,045/15,631
Housing63#5,550/14,977
Health88#1,828/15,609
Healthcare39#9,540/15,650
Environment96#542/15,453
Education91#1,350/15,649
Infrastructure73#4,234/15,650
Community99#122/15,651
Leisure & amenities89#1,720/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low3.2 µg/m³
100/100Minnesota 6.3 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyCook County value
Grocery stores · high9.1 /10k
100/100Minnesota 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCook County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high21.7 /10k
100/100Minnesota 6.8 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCook County value
Suicide rate · low0.0 /100k
100/100Minnesota 13.8 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataCook County value
Primary care physicians · high158 /100k
99/100Minnesota 90 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCook County value
Public EV charging ports · high38.0 /10k
99/100Minnesota 5.6 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyCook County value

Weaknesses

Comfortable days · low18.8%
0/100Minnesota 23.6%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationCook County value
Distance to an airport · high244 mi
0/100Minnesota 43 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauCook County value
Pharmacies · low0.0 /10k
1/100Minnesota 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCook County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high232 mi
2/100Minnesota 32 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauCook County value
Distance to an emergency room · high21.1 mi
2/100Minnesota 6.2 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesCook County value
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Minnesota 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCook County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
1,332 (2015-2019) → 1,796 (2020-2024)
+35%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
73.0% (2015-2019) → 91.8% (2020-2024)
+19 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
32.5% (2015-2019) → 46.7% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateImproving
27.0% (2015-2019) → 12.9% (2020-2024)
−14 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$45,298 (2015-2019) → $70,583 (2020-2024)
+56%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Poverty rateImproving
20.3% (2015-2019) → 10.1% (2020-2024)
−10 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

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, Grand Marais, Minnesota improved on 3 of 9 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 6 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−10 points20.3% → 10.1%
Household income+56%$45,298 → $70,583
Broadband+19 points73.0% → 91.8%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 9 measures

Change of every measure of Grand Marais, Minnesota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	12.1 min2015-2019	10.2 min2020-2024	−1.9 min	Within the margin of error	70%
Bachelor's degree or higher	39.8%2015-2019	42.2%2020-2024	+2.4 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Broadband subscriptions	73.0%2015-2019	91.8%2020-2024	+19 points	Improved	88%
High school diploma or higher	95.4%2015-2019	95.8%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Home price to income ratio	4.3×2015-2019	4.4×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	74%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4042015-2019	0.3552020-2024	−0.049	Within the margin of error	83%
Median household income	$45,2982015-2019	$70,5832020-2024	+56%	Improved	89%
Poverty rate	20.3%2015-2019	10.1%2020-2024	−10 points	Improved	93%
Rent as share of income	25.9%2015-2019	28.8%2020-2024	+2.9 points	Within the margin of error	33%

“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 Grand Marais, Minnesota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Grand Marais, 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, Grand Marais, Minnesota itself moved +7.8 points in standing on average over the same 8 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

1,796 residents (±299)

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

793 households (±133)

Grand Marais, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $25k12%†99
$25k–50k21%†167
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

793 households (±133)

Grand Marais, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Own60%476
Rent40%†317

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

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

809 workers (±172)

Grand Marais, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Drive alone64%514
Carpool5.9%†48
Public transit0.0%0

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 Cook County, the county holding most of Grand Marais's residents.

Cook County has 292 employer establishments, 520 for every 10,000 residents (2.09× the US rate of 248; 1.94× Minnesota's), with 1,965 paid employees at an average annual pay of $45,509. The Census Bureau also counts 803 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 292; 803 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 520; US 248 · Minnesota 268
Paid employees: 1,965
Average annual pay: $45,509; US $68,342

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

Traveler accommodation	41	73	40.4×More than typical	504	$40,859	25
Construction of buildings	24	42.7	5.65×More than typical	87	$48,391	43
Specialty trade contractors	24	42.7	2.76×More than typical	41	$77,512	68
Restaurants and other eating places	22	39.1	2.13×More than typical	216	$31,634	—
Full-service restaurants	12	21.4	2.78×More than typical	153	$31,752	—
Other specialty trade contractors	8	14.2	5.67×Too few to compare	7	$127,571	21
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	7	12.5	4.68×Too few to compare	143	$29,839	7
Building equipment contractors	7	12.5	2.07×Too few to compare	21	$70,333	8
Other amusement and recreation industries	7	12.5	5.14×Too few to compare	143	$29,839	7
RV parks and recreational camps	7	12.5	52.5×Too few to compare	22	$90,045	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	7	12.5	1.85×Too few to compare	18	$48,111	66
Banks and credit unions	6	10.7	3.30×Too few to compare	44	$63,409	—

Rank places for an industry Open Cook County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 5,620 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

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

See federal money in Cook 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.

Grand Marais, 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.

Cook County96100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Cook County

Largest first.

Lutsen222

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/2724992

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends