Scores by category

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

Safety98#244/15,637
Economy33#10,517/15,631
Housing73#4,003/14,977
Health57#6,725/15,609
Healthcare40#9,452/15,650
Environment82#2,780/15,453
Education67#5,147/15,649
Infrastructure34#10,342/15,650
Community92#1,293/15,651
Leisure & amenities79#3,273/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Granite Falls, Minnesota ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Yellow Medicine 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

Suicide rate · low0.0 /100k
100/100Minnesota 13.8 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100k2024Centers for Disease Control and PreventionYellow Medicine County value
Pharmacies · high4.2 /10k
99/100Minnesota 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsYellow Medicine County value
Social associations · high25.4 /10k
99/100Minnesota 12.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteYellow Medicine County value
Firearm deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Minnesota 9.4 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100k2024Centers for Disease Control and PreventionYellow Medicine County value
Property crime rate · low277 /100k
98/100Minnesota 1,412 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationYellow Medicine County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low100 min
96/100Minnesota 134 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesYellow Medicine County value

Weaknesses

Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100Minnesota 5.6 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyYellow Medicine County value
Mental health care shortage · high19.0
4/100Minnesota 8.0United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationYellow Medicine County value
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Minnesota 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsYellow Medicine County value
Access to exercise opportunities · low45.1%
8/100Minnesota 86.4%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteYellow Medicine County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high100 mi
10/100Minnesota 32 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauYellow Medicine County value
Mental health providers · low85 /100k
12/100Minnesota 383 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteYellow Medicine County value

Trends

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

Rent-burdened householdsImproving
57.8% (2015-2019) → 39.5% (2020-2024)
−18 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
33.9% (2015-2019) → 25.3% (2020-2024)
−8.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Poverty rateImproving
15.6% (2015-2019) → 7.7% (2020-2024)
−7.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
New homes permittedWorsening
1.2 /1k (2021) → 0.7 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−39%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Average commute timeWorsening
13.5 min (2015-2019) → 17.1 min (2020-2024)
+27%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Child poverty rateImproving
9.9% (2015-2019) → 4.8% (2020-2024)
−5.1 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, Granite Falls, Minnesota improved on 1 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 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.

Improved1

Poverty−7.9 points15.6% → 7.7%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Granite Falls, Minnesota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	13.5 min2015-2019	17.1 min2020-2024	+3.6 min	Within the margin of error	16%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.6%2015-2019	21.1%2020-2024	+3.5 points	Within the margin of error	56%
Broadband subscriptions	85.2%2015-2019	87.3%2020-2024	+2.2 points	Within the margin of error	16%
Effective property tax rate	1.26%2015-2019	1.19%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	30%
High school diploma or higher	92.6%2015-2019	89.4%2020-2024	−3.1 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Home price to income ratio	2.1×2015-2019	2.3×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	70%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4312015-2019	0.4562020-2024	+0.025	Within the margin of error	30%
Median household income	$58,6902015-2019	$59,3752020-2024	+1.2%	Within the margin of error	8%
Poverty rate	15.6%2015-2019	7.7%2020-2024	−7.9 points	Improved	89%
Rent as share of income	33.9%2015-2019	25.3%2020-2024	−8.6 points	Within the margin of error	91%
Rent-burdened households	57.8%2015-2019	39.5%2020-2024	−18 points	Within the margin of error	92%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.4%2015-2019	7.2%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Within the margin of error	36%

“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 Granite Falls, Minnesota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Granite Falls, 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, Granite Falls, Minnesota itself moved +0.9 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

2,685 residents (±257)

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: 50–59 women (−6.0 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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

2,685 residents (±257)

Granite Falls, Minnesota
Minnesota share

White76%2,034
Black2.5%66
Hispanic or Latino13%†338
Asian0.0%0
American Indian and Alaska Native4.0%†108
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races5.2%†139

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: White (−9.7 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

1,933 residents (±153)

Granite Falls, Minnesota
Minnesota share

No high school diploma11%†204
High school or GED35%677
Some college24%469
Associate degree9.1%†175
Bachelor's degree15%290
Graduate degree6.1%†118

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 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

1,239 households (±103)

Granite Falls, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $25k16%†195
$25k–50k20%†243
$50k–75k29%363
$75k–100k7.8%†97
$100k–150k14%†179
$150k–200k7.8%†97
$200k or more5.2%†65

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−11.4 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

1,239 households (±103)

Granite Falls, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Own74%923
Rent26%316

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+10.2 points).

Table view

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

Rent paid

297 households (±76)

Granite Falls, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $75037%†110
$750–1,00023%†69
$1,000–1,50029%†86

Home values

923 homes (±84)

Granite Falls, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $150k55%509
$150k–250k27%†251
$250k–400k14%†130

Age of homes

1,246 homes (±104)

Granite Falls, Minnesota
Minnesota share

2010 or later2.1%†26
2000–20097.6%†95
1980–199918%†224

Size of homes

1,246 homes (±104)

Granite Falls, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom11%†142
2 bedrooms21%266

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

1,233 workers (±158)

Granite Falls, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Drive alone78%960
Carpool13%†160
Public transit1.5%†18
Walk4.5%†55
Bike0.0%0
Work from home3.2%†40
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

1,193 workers (±158)

Granite Falls, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under 15 min50%599
15–29 min34%†407
30–44 min9.8%†117

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 Yellow Medicine County, the county holding most of Granite Falls's residents.

Yellow Medicine County has 324 employer establishments, 340 for every 10,000 residents (1.37× the US rate of 248; 1.27× Minnesota's), with 3,603 paid employees at an average annual pay of $55,511. The Census Bureau also counts 834 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 324; 834 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 340; US 248 · Minnesota 268
Paid employees: 3,603
Average annual pay: $55,511; US $68,342

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

Religious organizations	24	25.2	4.54×More than typical	82	$14,927	—
Specialty trade contractors	21	22	1.42×More than typical	59	$62,085	76
Truck transportation	20	21	4.15×More than typical	94	$47,011	46
Ambulatory health care services	13	13.6	0.65×Fewer than typical	241	$45,921	31
Restaurants and other eating places	13	13.6	0.74×Fewer than typical	120	$15,025	5
Building equipment contractors	12	12.6	2.09×More than typical	31	$60,000	12
Automotive repair and maintenance	11	11.5	2.29×More than typical	26	$39,577	21
Construction of buildings	11	11.5	1.53×More than typical	23	$42,652	31
Insurance agencies and brokerages	11	11.5	2.63×More than typical	40	$37,875	15
Banks and credit unions	9	9.4	2.92×Too few to compare	73	$59,767	—
Building material and supplies dealers (hardware, home centers)	8	8.4	5.09×Too few to compare	34	$32,147	4
Heavy and civil engineering construction	7	7.3	6.40×Too few to compare	9	$63,889	3

Rank places for an industry Open Yellow Medicine County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 9,536 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 Granite Falls, Minnesota: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
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

ADVANTAGE MECHANICAL LLC$00.0%

Spending by fiscal year

0FY2018
3.1KFY2020
1.2KFY2021
2.3KFY2022
2.6KFY2023
0FY2024
0FY2025
0FY2026

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 Granite Falls, Minnesota, so they do not add up across cities.

Granite Falls, Minnesota's figures are part of those of Yellow Medicine County, MN and Chippewa County, MN ($8.5M 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: Granite Falls is mostly in Yellow Medicine County.

See federal money in Yellow Medicine 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.

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

House

Michelle FischbachR-MN-7 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 0.4%

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.

Other cities and towns in Yellow Medicine 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/2725280