City · Chisago County, Minnesota

North Branch, Minnesota

North Branch is a city in Chisago County, Minnesota, part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area. It has 11,565 residents. North Branch, Minnesota has a quality-of-life score of 80 out of 100 (very high), ranking #3,055 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Minnesota it ranks #235 of 364 cities and towns. It ranks best on violent crime rate (low), voter turnout (high) and high school diploma or higher (high). It ranks worst on grocery stores (low), pharmacies (low) and distance to an emergency room (high).

80Very high

Quality-of-life score: #3,055 of 15,651 cities and towns
Minnesota: #235 of 364 in MN
Population: 11,565 (2020-2024)
Land area: 37 mi²
Density: 309.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 2746798

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 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.

Safety90#1,553/15,637
Economy70#4,691/15,631
Housing49#7,707/14,977
Health68#5,054/15,609
Healthcare46#8,499/15,650
Environment96#558/15,453
Education78#3,476/15,649
Infrastructure50#7,762/15,650
Community94#992/15,651
Leisure & amenities29#11,124/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Violent crime rate · low56 /100k
96/100Minnesota 224 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationChisago County value
Voter turnout · high80.4%
96/100Minnesota 77.0%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionChisago County value
High school diploma or higher · high96.3%
95/100Minnesota 93.9%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Loneliness · low29.6%
95/100Minnesota 32.1%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Property crime rate · low366 /100k
94/100Minnesota 1,412 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationChisago County value
Food environment index · high9.3
94/100Minnesota 9.1United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteChisago County value

Weaknesses

Grocery stores · low0.9 /10k
8/100Minnesota 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsChisago County value
Pharmacies · low1.0 /10k
14/100Minnesota 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsChisago County value
Distance to an emergency room · high10.5 mi
15/100Minnesota 6.2 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesChisago County value
Comfortable days · low23.8%
21/100Minnesota 23.6%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationChisago County value
Restaurants and bars · low6.3 /10k
23/100Minnesota 8.6 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsChisago County value
Dentists · low43 /100k
25/100Minnesota 78 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteChisago County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
10,454 (2015-2019) → 11,565 (2020-2024)
+11%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedWorsening
19.1 /1k (2021) → 7.6 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−60%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.4× (2015-2019) → 3.6× (2020-2024)
+49%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
49.6% (2015-2019) → 56.2% (2020-2024)
+6.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
86.4% (2015-2019) → 92.3% (2020-2024)
+5.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
29.7% (2015-2019) → 33.4% (2020-2024)
+3.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

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, North Branch, Minnesota improved on 1 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 11 moved within the margin of error and 1 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

Broadband+5.9 points86.4% → 92.3%

Declined1

Price / income+1.2×2.4× → 3.6×

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of North Branch, Minnesota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	32.8 min2015-2019	30.7 min2020-2024	−2.0 min	Within the margin of error	71%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.5%2015-2019	18.4%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Broadband subscriptions	86.4%2015-2019	92.3%2020-2024	+5.9 points	Improved	37%
Child poverty rate	11.1%2015-2019	10.2%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	50%
Effective property tax rate	1.37%2015-2019	1.13%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	65%
High school diploma or higher	94.2%2015-2019	96.3%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Within the margin of error	59%
Home price to income ratio	2.4×2015-2019	3.6×2020-2024	+1.2×	Declined	17%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3742015-2019	0.4222020-2024	+0.047	Within the margin of error	17%
Median household income	$79,8262015-2019	$90,4562020-2024	+13%	Within the margin of error	21%
Poverty rate	7.9%2015-2019	7.7%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Rent as share of income	29.7%2015-2019	33.4%2020-2024	+3.7 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Rent-burdened households	49.6%2015-2019	56.2%2020-2024	+6.5 points	Within the margin of error	33%
Unemployment rate	3.8%2015-2019	4.1%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.4%2015-2019	6.6%2020-2024	+2.2 points	Within the margin of error	24%

“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 North Branch, Minnesota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of North Branch, 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, North Branch, Minnesota itself moved −9.8 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

11,565 residents (±24)

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: 40–49 women (−3.2 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

11,565 residents (±24)

North Branch, Minnesota
Minnesota share

White90%10,417
Black0.1%†15
Hispanic or Latino2.3%†270

Education

8,190 residents (±271)

North Branch, Minnesota
Minnesota share

No high school diploma3.7%†306
High school or GED40%3,243
Some college25%2,037

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

4,709 households (±232)

North Branch, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $25k11%†531
$25k–50k15%728
$50k–75k13%†603
$75k–100k16%†734
$100k–150k21%1,006
$150k–200k12%588
$200k or more11%†519

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+5.4 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

4,709 households (±232)

North Branch, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Own82%3,864
Rent18%845

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

Table view

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

Rent paid

837 households (±191)

North Branch, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $75013%†107
$750–1,00016%†134
$1,000–1,50037%†309

Home values

3,864 homes (±237)

North Branch, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $150k7.4%†287
$150k–250k16%626
$250k–400k59%2,279

Age of homes

4,805 homes (±244)

North Branch, Minnesota
Minnesota share

2010 or later9.8%†469
2000–200926%1,273
1980–199940%1,900

Size of homes

4,805 homes (±244)

North Branch, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Studio1.8%†85
1 bedroom3.7%†179
2 bedrooms14%690

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

6,101 workers (±329)

North Branch, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Drive alone81%4,970
Carpool9.7%†593
Public transit0.0%†3
Walk0.9%†55
Bike0.2%†14
Work from home6.1%†372
Other1.5%†94

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

5,729 workers (±363)

North Branch, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under 15 min30%1,738
15–29 min20%1,139
30–44 min23%1,329

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 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 Chisago County, the county holding most of North Branch's residents.

Chisago County has 1,358 employer establishments, 232 for every 10,000 residents (0.93× the US rate of 248; 0.86× Minnesota's), with 15,081 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,646. The Census Bureau also counts 4,088 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,358; 4,088 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 232; US 248 · Minnesota 268
Paid employees: 15,081
Average annual pay: $52,646; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	176	30	1.94×More than typical	695	$79,419	360
Ambulatory health care services	73	12.4	0.60×Fewer than typical	1,066	$76,932	140
Restaurants and other eating places	65	11.1	0.60×Fewer than typical	1,110	$20,702	17
Construction of buildings	64	10.9	1.44×More than typical	225	$65,827	151
Building equipment contractors	56	9.5	1.59×More than typical	260	$78,442	41
Lessors of real estate	52	8.9	0.72×Fewer than typical	56	$46,268	369
Automotive repair and maintenance	47	8	1.59×More than typical	214	$55,117	74
Truck transportation	46	7.8	1.55×More than typical	238	$54,853	116
Other specialty trade contractors	44	7.5	2.99×More than typical	106	$96,575	98
Building finishing contractors	41	7	1.84×More than typical	182	$70,423	143
Services to buildings and dwellings	40	6.8	1.01×About typical	139	$33,381	238
Religious organizations	36	6.1	1.11×About typical	276	$22,692	—

Rank places for an industry Open Chisago County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 58,647 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 $809.8K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in North Branch, Minnesota: $70.02 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $809.8K; +209% vs FY2025
Per resident: $70.02; 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

Department of Veterans Affairs$807.1K99.7%
Departmental Offices$2,6280.3%

Top recipients

ECUMEN$807.1K99.7%
RUSTAN APPRAISAL SERVICES LLC$2,6280.3%

Spending by fiscal year

32.6KFY2018
48.7KFY2019
118.4KFY2020
133.2KFY2021
94.2KFY2022
0FY2023
99.6KFY2024
262.4KFY2025

Top industries (NAICS)

Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) · 6231$807.1K99.7%
Activities related to real estate · 5313$2,6280.3%

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 North Branch, Minnesota, so they do not add up across cities.

North Branch, Minnesota's figures are part of those of Chisago County, MN ($2M in FY2026), never added to them: 40% of that total.

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

See federal money in Chisago 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.

North Branch, 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.

Chisago County93100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI93

Other cities and towns in Chisago 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/2746798

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends