Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety39#563/924
Economy38#577/925
Housing55#417/925
Health31#639/925
Healthcare83#161/923
Environment74#242/917
Education77#218/925
Infrastructure74#245/925
Community82#164/925
Leisure & amenities73#248/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Bemidji, MN micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Hot days · low1 days
94/100Minnesota 5 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Loneliness · low30.5%
93/100Minnesota 32.1%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.3 µg/m³
92/100Minnesota 6.3 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Primary care physicians · high103 /100k
92/100Minnesota 90 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Pharmacies · high2.3 /10k
89/100Minnesota 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Mental health providers · high494 /100k
86/100Minnesota 383 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Days with unhealthy air · high4.7%
5/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
New business applications · low7.6 /1k
6/100Minnesota 12.7 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Injury deaths · high129 /100k
10/100Minnesota 81 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Child care cost burden · high38.2%
11/100Minnesota 29.9%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Distance to an airport · high103 mi
15/100Minnesota 43 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Adult smoking · high18.8%
15/100Minnesota 15.9%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Drought exposureImproving
77% (2021) → 39% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
−38 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
62.5% (2010 & 2021) → 77.2% (2022 & 2024)
+15 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
Child care cost burdenWorsening
24.2% (2020 & 2021) → 38.2% (2023 & 2024)
+14 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
79.7% (2015-2019) → 91.8% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Drug overdose deathsImproving
40.9 /100k (2021) → 21.4 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−48%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Gyms and fitness centersWorsening
1.5 /10k (2020) → 0.9 /10k (2025)
−44%5 yearsUS 1.2 /10k → 1.3 /10k

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, Bemidji, MN micropolitan area improved on 16 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 5. 5 moved within the margin of error and 6 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved16

Rent / income−3.7 points31.3% → 27.6%
Grocery stores+26%1.5 /10k → 1.9 /10k
Rent burden−8.2 points51.9% → 43.7%
Household income+40%$49,160 → $68,975
Child poverty−6.4 points24.8% → 18.4%

Declined5

Gyms−44%1.5 /10k → 0.9 /10k
Arts & recreation−18%6.5 /10k → 5.3 /10k
Violent crime+19%313 /100k → 372 /100k
Transit use−0.9 points2.0% → 1.1%
Traffic deaths+21%10.3 /100k → 12.5 /100k

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Bemidji, MN micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	6.5 /10k2020	5.3 /10k2025	−18%	Declined	7%
Average commute time	19.4 min2015-2019	21.0 min2020-2024	+1.6 min	Within the margin of error	18%
Average weekly wage	$9002020	$1,1122025	+24%	Improved	53%
Bachelor's degree or higher	29.2%2015-2019	31.8%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Improved	44%
Broadband subscriptions	79.7%2015-2019	91.8%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	77%
Child poverty rate	24.8%2015-2019	18.4%2020-2024	−6.4 points	Improved	85%
Distance to an airport	103 mi2020	103 mi2025	−0 mi	Little change	77%
Drug overdose deaths	45.4 /100k2020	21.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−53%	Improved	84%
Effective property tax rate	0.95%2015-2019	0.80%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	57%
Firearm deaths	12.5 /100k2020	11.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−4.8%	Little change	57%
Grocery stores	1.5 /10k2020	1.9 /10k2025	+26%	Improved	92%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.5 /10k2020	0.9 /10k2025	−44%	Declined	6%
High school diploma or higher	92.1%2015-2019	92.3%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Home price to income ratio	3.3×2015-2019	3.4×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	87%
Homicide rate	6.3 /100k2020	2.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−62%	Improved	86%
Income adjusted for local prices	$47,6952019	$65,4552024	+37%	Improved	81%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4512015-2019	0.4442020-2024	−0.007	Within the margin of error	74%
Median household income	$49,1602015-2019	$68,9752020-2024	+40%	Improved	96%
New business applications	5.4 /1k2020	7.6 /1k2025	+41%	Improved	42%
Pharmacies	2.4 /10k2020	2.3 /10k2025	−1.7%	Little change	66%
Poverty rate	18.9%2015-2019	16.1%2020-2024	−2.8 points	Improved	83%
Property crime rate	3,101 /100k2020	1,850 /100k2025	−40%	Improved	65%
Public libraries	0.4 /10k2019	0.4 /10k2024	+0.9%	Little change	70%
Public transit commuters	2.0%2015-2019	1.1%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Declined	18%
Rent as share of income	31.3%2015-2019	27.6%2020-2024	−3.7 points	Improved	95%
Rent-burdened households	51.9%2015-2019	43.7%2020-2024	−8.2 points	Improved	96%
Restaurants and bars	8.9 /10k2020	9.6 /10k2025	+7.8%	Improved	74%
Suicide rate	17.0 /100k2020	16.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−2.9%	Little change	67%
Traffic deaths	10.3 /100k2015-2019	12.5 /100k2020-2024	+21%	Declined	28%
Unemployment rate	7.0%2020	5.1%2025	−1.9 points	Improved	20%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	10.3%2015-2019	9.3%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Violent crime rate	313 /100k2020	372 /100k2025	+19%	Declined	13%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Bemidji, MN micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Bemidji, MN micropolitan area 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, Bemidji, MN micropolitan area itself moved +5.8 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

46,512 residents

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

18,172 households (±288)

Bemidji, MN micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k17%3,118
$25k–50k18%3,204
$50k–75k19%3,507

Homes

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

Owners and renters

18,172 households (±288)

Bemidji, MN micropolitan area
United States share

Own70%12,742
Rent30%5,430

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+3.1 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

21,221 workers (±438)

Bemidji, MN micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone77%16,306
Carpool10%2,168
Public transit1.1%†237

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 no occupation wages for Bemidji, MN micropolitan area.

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.

Bemidji, MN has 1,250 employer establishments, 268 for every 10,000 residents (1.08× the US rate of 248), with 16,073 paid employees at an average annual pay of $46,475. The Census Bureau also counts 2,999 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,250; 2,999 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 268; US 248
Paid employees: 16,073
Average annual pay: $46,475; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	103	22.1	1.43×More than typical	601	$86,361	208
Ambulatory health care services	75	16.1	0.77×Fewer than typical	1,404	$50,558	120
Restaurants and other eating places	73	15.7	0.85×About typical	1,515	$19,473	9
Construction of buildings	45	9.7	1.28×More than typical	180	$60,389	104
Lessors of real estate	44	9.4	0.77×Fewer than typical	114	$37,886	310
Building equipment contractors	42	9	1.50×More than typical	461	$91,262	24
Full-service restaurants	39	8.4	1.09×About typical	746	$22,001	3
Automotive repair and maintenance	32	6.9	1.36×More than typical	149	$42,685	38
Religious organizations	32	6.9	1.24×About typical	308	$23,312	—
Truck transportation	32	6.9	1.36×More than typical	132	$52,083	91
Offices of other health practitioners	30	6.4	1.06×About typical	233	$45,017	69
Limited-service restaurants	28	6	0.75×Fewer than typical	684	$16,488	—

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 46,570 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $8.9M on contracts performed in Bemidji, MN micropolitan area: $190 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $8.9M; −0.5% vs FY2025
Per resident: $190; US $1,994
Sole-source: 20%; US 30%
Single offer: 19%; 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

Indian Health Service$6M68%
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources$918.8K10%
Departmental Offices$763.5K8.5%
Defense Logistics Agency$598.6K6.7%
Department of Veterans Affairs$361.5K4.0%
Department of the Air Force$141.1K1.6%
Department of the Army$44.1K0.5%
Forest Service$34.3K0.4%

Top recipients

DT-TRAK CONSULTING, INC.$1.3M14%
ALOSA HEALTH INC$944.5K11%
BRYANT HEALTHCARE CONSULTANTS, INC.$933.9K10%
QUEST DIAGNOSTICS INCORPORATED$732.3K8.2%
NORTECH SYSTEMS INC$598.6K6.7%

Spending by fiscal year

6.8MFY2017
5.6MFY2018
6.2MFY2019
7.8MFY2020
8.7MFY2021
6.2MFY2022
11MFY2023
11.4M

Top industries (NAICS)

Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$1.4M15%
Medical and diagnostic laboratories · 6215$1M11%
Educational support services · 6117$944.5K11%
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$938.2K10%
Support activities for forestry · 1153$763.5K8.5%
Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing · 3344

Largest awards

REFERENCE LAB AND PATHOLOGY SERVICES$3.9M
QUEST DIAGNOSTICS INCORPORATED· Beltrami County, MN· Health & medical· May 5, 2022 – Feb 24, 2026· 75H70522F80016
BEMIDJI AREA RUBRIK DATA BACKUP SOLUTION FOR MULTIPLE SITES IAW ATTACHED TERMS AND CONDTIONS$1.5M
V & Z ENTERPRISES INCORPORATED· Beltrami County, MN· IT & telecom· Jun 12, 2024 – Jun 22, 2026· 75H70524C00004
09/15/2024 - 09/14/2025 OPTION YEAR 2 AREA WIDE NURSE SERVICES FOR RLSU$1.3M
DT-TRAK CONSULTING, INC.· Beltrami County, MN· Health & medical· Aug 26, 2024 – Oct 22, 2025· 75H70524F06011
INTEGRATED CHEMISTRY SYSTEM FOR FEDERAL HOSPITALS

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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $371.6M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Bemidji, MN micropolitan area: $7,898 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $371.6M; +5.3% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,898; US $12,955
Loan face value: $17.2M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 1.0%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$177.4M48%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$28.8M7.8%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$19.8M5.3%
20.933 · National Infrastructure Investments$19.3M5.2%
84.041 · Impact Aid$16.5M4.4%
15.022 · Tribal Self-Governance$15.8M4.2%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$15M4.0%
14.867 · Indian Housing Block Grants$12.4M3.3%

Top recipients (organizations)

RED LAKE BAND OF CHIPPEWA INDIANS$39.8M11%
RED LAKE, MN
RED LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOLS$15.6M4.2%
RED LAKE, MN
MINNESOTA STATE COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES$9.6M2.6%
BEMIDJI, MN
MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$8.3M2.2%
SAINT PAUL, MN
LEECH LAKE BAND OF OJIBWE HOUSING AUTHORITY

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$220.2M59%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$33M8.9%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Education$31.1M8.4%
Federal Highway Administration$27.6M7.4%
Department of Transportation
Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education$16.6M

Assistance by fiscal year

306.5MFY2021
302.5MFY2022
364.8MFY2023
346.3MFY2024
352.8MFY2025
371.6MFY2026

County aggregates

69%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Bemidji, MN

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Beltrami CountyCentral county6347,055

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

BemidjiPrincipal city15,569

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Minnesota

Areas based in Minnesota, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M13420

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved16

Declined5

Metro and micro areas like Bemidji, MN micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Bemidji, MN

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Minnesota

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved16

Declined5

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought