City · Sherburne County, Minnesota

Zimmerman, Minnesota

Zimmerman is a city in Sherburne County, Minnesota, part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area. It has 6,546 residents. Zimmerman, Minnesota has a quality-of-life score of 81 out of 100 (very high), ranking #2,984 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Minnesota it ranks #228 of 364 cities and towns. It ranks best on food environment index (high), income inequality (Gini index) (low) and voter turnout (high). It ranks worst on pharmacies (low), restaurants and bars (low) and grocery stores (low).

81Very high

Quality-of-life score: #2,984 of 15,651 cities and towns
Minnesota: #228 of 364 in MN
Population: 6,546 (2020-2024)
Land area: 4 mi²
Density: 1,738.2 /mi²
FIPS code: 2772238

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.

Safety88#1,812/15,637
Economy82#2,824/15,631
Housing41#8,767/14,977
Health75#3,941/15,609
Healthcare41#9,162/15,650
Environment92#1,163/15,453
Education73#4,238/15,649
Infrastructure69#4,923/15,650
Community88#1,937/15,651
Leisure & amenities20#12,581/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Food environment index · high9.6
98/100Minnesota 9.1United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSherburne County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.344
95/100Minnesota 0.452United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Voter turnout · high79.5%
95/100Minnesota 77.0%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionSherburne County value
Premature death · low4,897 /100k
94/100Minnesota 6,407 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSherburne County value
High school diploma or higher · high93.7%
93/100Minnesota 93.9%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Math scores · high3.44
93/100Minnesota 3.30United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSherburne County value

Weaknesses

Pharmacies · low0.7 /10k
6/100Minnesota 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSherburne County value
Restaurants and bars · low4.3 /10k
6/100Minnesota 8.6 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSherburne County value
Grocery stores · low0.9 /10k
9/100Minnesota 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSherburne County value
Students per teacher · high18.8×
11/100Minnesota 14.7×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsSherburne County value
Primary care physicians · low34 /100k
15/100Minnesota 90 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSherburne County value
Public EV charging ports · low2.0 /10k
20/100Minnesota 5.6 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergySherburne County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
5,657 (2015-2019) → 6,546 (2020-2024)
+16%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
40.1% (2015-2019) → 65.5% (2020-2024)
+25 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
New homes permittedWorsening
7.4 /1k (2021) → 2.9 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−61%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.4× (2015-2019) → 3.8× (2020-2024)
+56%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Child poverty rateWorsening
9.0% (2015-2019) → 17.0% (2020-2024)
+8 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
27.7% (2015-2019) → 33.5% (2020-2024)
+5.8 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, Zimmerman, Minnesota improved on 0 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 10 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.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined1

Price / income+1.4×2.4× → 3.8×

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Zimmerman, Minnesota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	40.0 min2015-2019	34.5 min2020-2024	−5.5 min	Within the margin of error	91%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.1%2015-2019	21.2%2020-2024	+4.2 points	Within the margin of error	61%
Broadband subscriptions	91.9%2015-2019	95.3%2020-2024	+3.4 points	Within the margin of error	22%
Effective property tax rate	1.08%2015-2019	0.92%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	49%
High school diploma or higher	95.4%2015-2019	93.7%2020-2024	−1.7 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Home price to income ratio	2.4×2015-2019	3.8×2020-2024	+1.4×	Declined	12%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3672015-2019	0.3442020-2024	−0.024	Within the margin of error	70%
Median household income	$77,2222015-2019	$85,6452020-2024	+11%	Within the margin of error	18%
Rent as share of income	27.7%2015-2019	33.5%2020-2024	+5.8 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Rent-burdened households	40.1%2015-2019	65.5%2020-2024	+25 points	Within the margin of error	5%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.2%2015-2019	4.6%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	42%

“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 Zimmerman, Minnesota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Zimmerman, 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, Zimmerman, Minnesota itself moved −14.3 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

6,546 residents (±17)

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

2,202 households (±161)

Zimmerman, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $25k12%†256
$25k–50k15%†338
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

2,202 households (±161)

Zimmerman, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Own82%1,807
Rent18%†395

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

3,734 workers (±329)

Zimmerman, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Drive alone68%2,551
Carpool19%†712
Public transit1.2%†45

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 Sherburne County, the county holding most of Zimmerman's residents.

Sherburne County has 2,251 employer establishments, 220 for every 10,000 residents (0.89× the US rate of 248; 0.82× Minnesota's), with 24,222 paid employees at an average annual pay of $53,832. The Census Bureau also counts 7,794 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,251; 7,794 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 220; US 248 · Minnesota 268
Paid employees: 24,222
Average annual pay: $53,832; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	371	36.2	2.34×More than typical	1,944	$76,612	716
Construction of buildings	133	13	1.72×More than typical	433	$61,386	288
Building equipment contractors	120	11.7	1.95×More than typical	637	$72,571	77
Ambulatory health care services	103	10.1	0.48×Fewer than typical	1,283	$54,111	228
Services to buildings and dwellings	95	9.3	1.38×More than typical	395	$50,858	381
Restaurants and other eating places	94	9.2	0.50×Fewer than typical	2,282	$18,552	16
Truck transportation	90	8.8	1.74×More than typical	639	$61,070	359
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	89	8.7	2.76×More than typical	754	$82,745	142
Building finishing contractors	87	8.5	2.24×More than typical	293	$54,659	241
Lessors of real estate	83	8.1	0.66×Fewer than typical	147	$40,660	701
Other specialty trade contractors	75	7.3	2.92×More than typical	260	$93,465	256
Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors	69	6.7	2.04×More than typical	451	$74,186	48

Rank places for an industry Open Sherburne County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 102,388 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 $62.2K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Zimmerman, Minnesota: $9.50 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $62.2K; +7.9% vs FY2025
Per resident: $9.50; US $1,994
Sole-source: 4.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 2.2%; 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

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$58.5K94%
Department of Veterans Affairs$2,4664.0%
Federal Acquisition Service$1,1921.9%

Top recipients

FED SERVE LLC$26.5K43%
KNIFE RIVER CORPORATION - NORTH CENTRAL$22.1K36%
VIRIDESCENT CONTRACTING, LLC$4,4627.2%
GEO/STANLEY JOINT VENTURE 2$4,2236.8%
NORTHERN ENGINEERING AND MANUFACTURING, INC$1,3782.2%

Spending by fiscal year

3.2KFY2017
33.6KFY2018
6.5KFY2019
4.7KFY2020
8.2KFY2021
3.9KFY2022
3.7KFY2023
48.8KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Nonresidential building construction · 2362$27K43%
Nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying · 2123$22.1K36%
Support activities for forestry · 1153$4,4627.2%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$4,2236.8%
Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing · 3391$2,4664.0%
Motor vehicle manufacturing · 3361$1,192

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

Zimmerman, Minnesota's figures are part of those of Sherburne County, MN ($10.1M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.6% of that total.

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

See federal money in Sherburne 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.

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

House

Tom EmmerR-MN-6 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 1.3%

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.

Sherburne 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 Sherburne 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/2772238

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends