City · Hubbard County, Minnesota

Park Rapids, Minnesota

Park Rapids is a city in Hubbard County, Minnesota. It has 4,270 residents. Park Rapids, Minnesota has a quality-of-life score of 63 out of 100 (high), ranking #5,857 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Minnesota it ranks #340 of 364 cities and towns. It ranks best on mammography screening (high), restaurants and bars (high) and arts, entertainment and recreation (high). It ranks worst on mental health care shortage (high), income inequality (Gini index) (high) and drought exposure (high).

63High

Quality-of-life score: #5,857 of 15,651 cities and towns
Minnesota: #340 of 364 in MN
Population: 4,270 (2020-2024)
Land area: 7 mi²
Density: 577.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 2749768

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.

Safety79#3,331/15,637
Economy9#14,301/15,631
Housing46#8,110/14,977
Health61#6,045/15,609
Healthcare29#11,071/15,650
Environment92#1,185/15,453
Education74#4,068/15,649
Infrastructure23#11,988/15,650
Community74#4,044/15,651
Leisure & amenities96#607/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Mammography screening · high59.0%
98/100Minnesota 54.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHubbard County value
Restaurants and bars · high16.1 /10k
96/100Minnesota 8.6 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsHubbard County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high9.8 /10k
95/100Minnesota 6.8 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsHubbard County value
Voter turnout · high79.5%
95/100Minnesota 77.0%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionHubbard County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.5 µg/m³
94/100Minnesota 6.3 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyHubbard County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Minnesota 2.9 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataHubbard County value

Weaknesses

Mental health care shortage · high19.0
4/100Minnesota 8.0United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationHubbard County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.579
6/100Minnesota 0.452United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Drought exposure · high89%
7/100Minnesota 36%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAHubbard County value
Dentists · low27 /100k
9/100Minnesota 78 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHubbard County value
Average weekly wage · low$937
9/100Minnesota $1,480United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsHubbard County value
Median household income · low$44,747
10/100Minnesota $87,120United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013

Trends

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

PopulationRising
4,054 (2015-2019) → 4,270 (2020-2024)
+5.3%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
68.4% (2015-2019) → 86.5% (2020-2024)
+18 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Average commute timeWorsening
14.4 min (2015-2019) → 25.9 min (2020-2024)
+80%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Child poverty rateImproving
38.5% (2015-2019) → 23.6% (2020-2024)
−15 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
New homes permittedWorsening
2.0 /1k (2021) → 0.9 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−53%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
39.5% (2015-2019) → 49.5% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

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, Park Rapids, Minnesota improved on 3 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 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

Uninsured−8.1 points15.3% → 7.2%
Broadband+18 points68.4% → 86.5%
Household income+28%$34,973 → $44,747

Declined2

Commute+11.5 min14.4 min → 25.9 min
Inequality+0.1250.454 → 0.579

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Park Rapids, Minnesota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	14.4 min2015-2019	25.9 min2020-2024	+11.5 min	Declined	1%
Bachelor's degree or higher	21.8%2015-2019	22.0%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Broadband subscriptions	68.4%2015-2019	86.5%2020-2024	+18 points	Improved	87%
Child poverty rate	38.5%2015-2019	23.6%2020-2024	−15 points	Within the margin of error	89%
Effective property tax rate	1.06%2015-2019	0.80%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	69%
High school diploma or higher	87.8%2015-2019	89.3%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Home price to income ratio	4.1×2015-2019	5.1×2020-2024	+0.9×	Within the margin of error	25%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4542015-2019	0.5792020-2024	+0.125	Declined	3%
Median household income	$34,9732015-2019	$44,7472020-2024	+28%	Improved	51%
Poverty rate	24.8%2015-2019	21.2%2020-2024	−3.6 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Rent as share of income	27.5%2015-2019	29.9%2020-2024	+2.4 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Rent-burdened households	39.5%2015-2019	49.5%2020-2024	+10 points	Within the margin of error	24%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	15.3%2015-2019	7.2%2020-2024	−8.1 points	Improved	94%

“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 Park Rapids, Minnesota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Park Rapids, 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, Park Rapids, Minnesota itself moved −11.2 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

4,270 residents (±22)

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

1,992 households (±122)

Park Rapids, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $25k32%†638
$25k–50k21%†417
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,992 households (±122)

Park Rapids, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Own55%1,088
Rent45%904

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+9.3 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

1,820 workers (±182)

Park Rapids, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Drive alone73%1,332
Carpool8.5%†155
Public transit0.7%†

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 Hubbard County, the county holding most of Park Rapids's residents.

Hubbard County has 630 employer establishments, 286 for every 10,000 residents (1.15× the US rate of 248; 1.06× Minnesota's), with 4,685 paid employees at an average annual pay of $48,425. The Census Bureau also counts 1,824 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 630; 1,824 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 286; US 248 · Minnesota 268
Paid employees: 4,685
Average annual pay: $48,425; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	69	31.3	2.02×More than typical	285	$62,291	178
Construction of buildings	45	20.4	2.70×More than typical	107	$45,000	113
Restaurants and other eating places	40	18.1	0.99×About typical	417	$24,568	—
Building equipment contractors	30	13.6	2.26×More than typical	189	$58,005	20
Ambulatory health care services	24	10.9	0.52×Fewer than typical	318	$79,557	56
Full-service restaurants	24	10.9	1.42×More than typical	208	$29,447	—
Traveler accommodation	24	10.9	6.03×More than typical	54	$46,352	17
Lessors of real estate	20	9.1	0.74×Fewer than typical	24	$44,667	208
Religious organizations	20	9.1	1.63×More than typical	81	$17,951	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	19	8.6	1.71×More than typical	59	$48,034	31
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	17	7.7	2.45×More than typical	57	$69,877	36
Electrical contractors and wiring installation	16	7.3	2.93×More than typical	112	$55,089	3

Rank places for an industry Open Hubbard County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 22,062 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 $3,288 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Park Rapids, Minnesota: $0.77 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $3,288; −81% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.77; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 26%; 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

Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services$1,67551%
Departmental Offices$84526%
Department of Veterans Affairs$76923%

Top recipients

STEELCASE INC.$1,67551%
PARK RAPIDS AVIATION, INC$84526%
HERITAGE LIVING CENTER/HUBBARD COUNTY$76923%

Spending by fiscal year

30.6FY2017
13.9FY2018
23.9KFY2019
30.3KFY2020
5.6KFY2021
10KFY2022
33.8KFY2023
38KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Office furniture (including fixtures) manufacturing · 3372$1,67551%
Support activities for air transportation · 4881$84526%
Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) · 6231$76923%

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 Park Rapids, Minnesota, so they do not add up across cities.

Park Rapids, Minnesota's figures are part of those of Hubbard County, MN ($8.4M 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: Park Rapids is mostly in Hubbard County.

See federal money in Hubbard 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.

Park Rapids, Minnesota is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Hubbard County82100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Hubbard 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/2749768

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends