Scores by category

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

Safety78#205/924
Economy61#361/925
Housing74#237/925
Health69#289/925
Healthcare76#219/923
Environment62#348/917
Education78#204/925
Infrastructure52#447/925
Community97#28/925
Leisure & amenities90#94/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Strengths

Loneliness · low29.0%
98/100Minnesota 32.1%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Voter turnout · high79.3%
98/100Minnesota 77.0%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionAggregated from counties
Restaurants and bars · high15.9 /10k
96/100Minnesota 8.6 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
New homes permitted · high9.5 /1k
94/100Minnesota 3.9 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Mammography screening · high56.4%
93/100Minnesota 54.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high8.4 /10k
92/100Minnesota 6.8 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Days with unhealthy air · high4.4%
5/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Drought exposure · high89%
8/100Minnesota 36%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAggregated from counties
Distance to an airport · high115 mi
10/100Minnesota 43 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Comfortable days · low23.3%
13/100Minnesota 23.6%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Distance to an emergency room · high11.3 mi
14/100Minnesota 6.2 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAggregated from counties
Unemployment rate · high5.3%
14/100Minnesota 3.9%United States 4.3%2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPartial year

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
56% (2021) → 89% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+33 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
53.9% (2010 & 2021) → 71.2% (2022 & 2024)
+17 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
Homicide rateImproving
2.9 /100k (2020) → 0.7 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−75%6 yearsUS 7.4 /100k → 4.8 /100k
Hot daysWorsening
2 days (2011-2020) → 3 days (2016-2025)
+68%5 yearsUS 41 days → 42 days
Property crime rateImproving
1,944 /100k (2019) → 844 /100k (2024)
−57%5 yearsUS 2,082 /100k → 1,761 /100k
New business applicationsImproving
7.5 /1k (2020) → 11.6 /1k (2025)
+55%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k

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, Brainerd, MN micropolitan area improved on 14 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 5. 7 moved within the margin of error and 5 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.

Improved14

Libraries+8.3%0.7 /10k → 0.8 /10k
Homicides−75%2.9 /100k → 0.7 /100k
Real income+36%$51,643 → $70,404
Bachelor's++4 points24.2% → 28.3%
Restaurants+8.1%14.7 /10k → 15.9 /10k

Declined5

Suicides+52%15.6 /100k → 23.6 /100k
Firearm deaths+34%11.4 /100k → 15.3 /100k
Commute+1.4 min22.3 min → 23.7 min
Price / income+0.6×3.6× → 4.2×
Traffic deaths+6.4%13.9 /100k → 14.8 /100k

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Brainerd, MN micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	8.1 /10k2020	8.4 /10k2025	+3.3%	Little change	36%
Average commute time	22.3 min2015-2019	23.7 min2020-2024	+1.4 min	Declined	23%
Average weekly wage	$8352020	$1,0202025	+22%	Improved	37%
Bachelor's degree or higher	24.2%2015-2019	28.3%2020-2024	+4 points	Improved	79%
Broadband subscriptions	81.2%2015-2019	89.7%2020-2024	+8.5 points	Improved	46%
Child poverty rate	17.3%2015-2019	14.3%2020-2024	−3 points	Improved	57%
Distance to an airport	115 mi2020	115 mi2025	+0 mi	Little change	21%
Drug overdose deaths	15.3 /100k2020	12.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−19%	Improved	44%
Effective property tax rate	0.75%2015-2019	0.67%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	31%
Firearm deaths	11.4 /100k2020	15.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+34%	Declined	16%
Grocery stores	2.2 /10k2020	2.1 /10k2025	−4.1%	Little change	36%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.7 /10k2020	0.8 /10k2025	+9.6%	Improved	58%
High school diploma or higher	93.5%2015-2019	94.5%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Home price to income ratio	3.6×2015-2019	4.2×2020-2024	+0.6×	Declined	30%
Homicide rate	2.9 /100k2020	0.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−75%	Improved	90%
Income adjusted for local prices	$51,6432019	$70,4042024	+36%	Improved	78%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4512015-2019	0.4402020-2024	−0.011	Within the margin of error	80%
Median household income	$55,1542015-2019	$71,3842020-2024	+29%	Improved	63%
New business applications	7.5 /1k2020	11.6 /1k2025	+55%	Improved	64%
Pharmacies	1.5 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	+2.7%	Little change	80%
Poverty rate	11.6%2015-2019	10.8%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Public libraries	0.7 /10k2019	0.8 /10k2024	+8.3%	Improved	90%
Public transit commuters	0.4%2015-2019	0.3%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Rent as share of income	29.1%2015-2019	27.5%2020-2024	−1.6 points	Within the margin of error	83%
Rent-burdened households	47.8%2015-2019	43.4%2020-2024	−4.4 points	Within the margin of error	87%
Restaurants and bars	14.7 /10k2020	15.9 /10k2025	+8.1%	Improved	75%
Suicide rate	15.6 /100k2020	23.6 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+52%	Declined	7%
Traffic deaths	13.9 /100k2015-2019	14.8 /100k2020-2024	+6.4%	Declined	51%
Unemployment rate	8.0%2020	5.3%2025	−2.7 points	Improved	42%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.0%2015-2019	7.6%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Violent crime rate	204 /100k2020	153 /100k2025	−25%	Improved	65%

“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 Brainerd, MN micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Brainerd, 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, Brainerd, MN micropolitan area itself moved +0.9 points in standing on average over the same 29 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

98,678 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

42,276 households (±550)

Brainerd, MN micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k15%6,272
$25k–50k19%8,054
$50k–75k18%7,739

Homes

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

Owners and renters

42,276 households (±550)

Brainerd, MN micropolitan area
United States share

Own80%33,743
Rent20%8,533

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Rent (−1.7 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

43,888 workers (±706)

Brainerd, MN micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone74%32,323
Carpool9.3%4,095
Public transit0.3%†139

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 Brainerd, 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.

Brainerd, MN has 3,174 employer establishments, 318 for every 10,000 residents (1.28× the US rate of 248), with 35,702 paid employees at an average annual pay of $46,775. The Census Bureau also counts 8,530 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 3,174; 8,530 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 318; US 248
Paid employees: 35,702
Average annual pay: $46,775; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	303	30.4	1.96×More than typical	1,421	$67,350	874
Restaurants and other eating places	197	19.8	1.08×About typical	3,034	$24,046	19
Ambulatory health care services	179	18	0.86×About typical	2,486	$72,928	249
Lessors of real estate	155	15.5	1.26×More than typical	570	$39,982	1,115
Construction of buildings	139	13.9	1.84×More than typical	534	$60,109	461
Full-service restaurants	112	11.2	1.46×More than typical	1,714	$25,796	10
Services to buildings and dwellings	104	10.4	1.55×More than typical	384	$55,573	628
Building equipment contractors	92	9.2	1.53×More than typical	654	$66,688	120
Religious organizations	89	8.9	1.61×More than typical	592	$22,650	—
Other specialty trade contractors	86	8.6	3.44×More than typical	220	$91,859	293
Real estate agents and brokers	86	8.6	1.77×More than typical	141	$49,518	275
Traveler accommodation	74	7.4	4.11×More than typical	2,030	$40,001	88

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 99,683 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 $17.1M on contracts performed in Brainerd, MN micropolitan area: $170 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $17.1M; +12% vs FY2025
Per resident: $170; US $1,994
Sole-source: 7.1%; US 30%
Single offer: 4.4%; 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$9.6M56%
Agricultural Marketing Service$2.9M17%
Defense Logistics Agency$2.3M14%
National Institutes of Health$1.2M6.9%
Department of the Army$1.1M6.5%
Department of the Air Force$147.5K0.9%
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources$99.7K0.6%
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission$33K0.2%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

26.6MFY2017
9.8MFY2018
18MFY2019
9.8MFY2020
12.2MFY2021
15.4MFY2022
18.7MFY2023
12.6M

Top industries (NAICS)

Employment services · 5613$7.7M45%
Grain and oilseed milling · 3112$2.9M17%
Newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers · 5131$1.2M6.9%
Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$1.1M6.3%
Electrical equipment manufacturing · 3353$1.1M6.3%
Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing · 3344$897.1K

Largest awards

01/22/2026-01/21/2027 OPTION YEAR TWO PHYSICIAN SERVICES FOR THE BEMIDJI AREA INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE/CLSU. 1) (ER) $324.45/HR. 2) (UC) URGENT CARE $324.45/HR. 3) PRIMARY CARE $234.70/HR. 4) FAMILY PRACTICE PHYSICIANS/IM $234.70/HR. 5) HOSPITAL$3M
PRAIRIE BAND HEALTH SERVICES INC· Cass County, MN· Health & medical· Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 31, 2025· 75H70526F06003
R9-R4 EU HELICOPTER TAIL # N20BH BELL 407 ROLLA, MO-POCATELLO, ID$3M
BRAINERD HELICOPTER SERVICES INC.· Crow Wing County, MN· Facilities & utilities· Jan 22, 2022 – Dec 11, 2025· 1202SA22K9316
COMMODITIES FOR USG FOOD DONATIONS: 2000011200/4100033873/RICE WILD PKG-25/1 LB$2.9M
LEECH LAKE BAND OF OJIBWE· Cass County, MN· Other equipment & supplies· Mar 3, 2026 – Mar 3, 2026· 123J1426C0805

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 $905.2M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Brainerd, MN micropolitan area: $9,002 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $905.2M; +0.3% vs FY2025
Per resident: $9,002; US $12,955
Loan face value: $86.2M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 1.0%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$598M66%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$71.3M7.9%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$55.1M6.1%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$34.1M3.8%
20.938 · Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program$25M2.8%
20.287 · Surface Transportation Block Grant Program$16.8M1.9%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$12.2M1.3%
57.001 · Social Insurance for Railroad Workers$9.8M1.1%

Top recipients (organizations)

MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$54.9M6.1%
SAINT PAUL, MN
LEECH LAKE BAND OF OJIBWE$16.9M1.9%
CASS LAKE, MN
MINNESOTA STATE COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES$5.8M0.6%
BRAINERD, MN
SKYWEST AIRLINES INC$5.5M0.6%
SAINT GEORGE, UT
CASS LAKE BENA SCHOOLS$5.4M

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$699.4M77%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$80.6M8.9%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$55.3M6.1%
Department of Transportation
Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education$16.6M1.8%
Department of the Interior
Department of Education

Assistance by fiscal year

761.5MFY2021
743.8MFY2022
824.6MFY2023
863.1MFY2024
902.3MFY2025
905.2MFY2026

County aggregates

87%

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 Brainerd, 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.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

BrainerdPrincipal city14,468

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/M14660

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved14

Declined5

Metro and micro areas like Brainerd, 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 Brainerd, 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

Improved14

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