Scores by category

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

Safety57#397/924
Economy60#368/925
Housing44#519/925
Health64#338/925
Healthcare77#214/923
Environment62#346/917
Education88#116/925
Infrastructure59#380/925
Community89#105/925
Leisure & amenities86#130/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Strengths

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low3.8 µg/m³
99/100Minnesota 6.3 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Hot days · low1 days
95/100Minnesota 5 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Primary care physicians · high107 /100k
93/100Minnesota 90 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Some college · high74.8%
93/100Minnesota 75.4%United States 67.8%2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Uninsured residents (under 65) · low5.2%
92/100Minnesota 6.0%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
High school diploma or higher · high94.8%
92/100Minnesota 93.9%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Weaknesses

Comfortable days · low21.5%
1/100Minnesota 23.6%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Preventable hospital stays · high5,116 /100k
1/100Minnesota 2,419 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Days with unhealthy air · high6.3%
3/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Distance to an airport · high151 mi
4/100Minnesota 43 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Distance to an Amtrak station · high126 mi
11/100Minnesota 32 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Distance to an emergency room · high9.3 mi
20/100Minnesota 6.2 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
49% (2021) → 70% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+21 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
New business applicationsImproving
5.5 /1k (2020) → 9.3 /1k (2025)
+67%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Drug overdose deathsImproving
33.2 /100k (2021) → 14.7 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−56%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
78.9% (2015-2019) → 88.4% (2020-2024)
+9.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
20.2% (Dec 2021) → 28.9% (Aug 2026)
+8.7 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
Traffic deathsWorsening
8.3 /100k (2015-2019) → 11.8 /100k (2020-2024)
+42%5 yearsUS 11.3 /100k → 12.3 /100k

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, Duluth, MN-WI metro area improved on 13 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 8. 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.

Improved13

Bachelor's++4.2 points27.6% → 31.8%
New businesses+67%5.5 /1k → 9.3 /1k
Grocery stores+10%1.4 /10k → 1.5 /10k
Gyms+20%1.0 /10k → 1.2 /10k
Overdose deaths−42%25.5 /100k → 14.7 /100k

Declined8

Traffic deaths+42%8.3 /100k → 11.8 /100k
Homicides+21%2.4 /100k → 2.9 /100k
Firearm deaths+24%12.7 /100k → 15.7 /100k
Inequality+0.0140.435 → 0.449
Rent burden+3.3 points47.4% → 50.7%

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Duluth, MN-WI metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	6.7 /10k2020	7.1 /10k2025	+6.1%	Improved	43%
Average commute time	20.7 min2015-2019	20.4 min2020-2024	−0.3 min	Within the margin of error	73%
Average weekly wage	$9672020	$1,1762025	+22%	Improved	35%
Bachelor's degree or higher	27.6%2015-2019	31.8%2020-2024	+4.2 points	Improved	81%
Broadband subscriptions	78.9%2015-2019	88.4%2020-2024	+9.5 points	Improved	56%
Child poverty rate	14.0%2015-2019	12.7%2020-2024	−1.2 points	Within the margin of error	36%
Distance to an airport	151 mi2020	151 mi2025	−0 mi	Little change	84%
Drug overdose deaths	25.5 /100k2020	14.7 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−42%	Improved	72%
Effective property tax rate	1.13%2015-2019	1.04%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	34%
Firearm deaths	12.7 /100k2020	15.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+24%	Declined	21%
Grocery stores	1.4 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	+10%	Improved	78%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.0 /10k2020	1.2 /10k2025	+20%	Improved	70%
High school diploma or higher	94.3%2015-2019	94.8%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	3.1×2020-2024	+0.3×	Declined	70%
Homicide rate	2.4 /100k2020	2.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+21%	Declined	11%
Income adjusted for local prices	$51,6122019	$67,6012024	+31%	Improved	44%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4352015-2019	0.4492020-2024	+0.014	Declined	22%
Median household income	$56,5732015-2019	$71,7692020-2024	+27%	Improved	50%
New business applications	5.5 /1k2020	9.3 /1k2025	+67%	Improved	78%
Pharmacies	1.6 /10k2020	1.4 /10k2025	−9.3%	Declined	49%
Poverty rate	13.2%2015-2019	12.7%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Property crime rate	2,471 /100k2020	1,643 /100k2025	−33%	Improved	49%
Public libraries	0.8 /10k2019	0.8 /10k2024	−0.9%	Little change	56%
Public transit commuters	1.8%2015-2019	1.4%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Little change	44%
Rent as share of income	29.0%2015-2019	30.3%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Declined	31%
Rent-burdened households	47.4%2015-2019	50.7%2020-2024	+3.3 points	Declined	30%
Restaurants and bars	13.0 /10k2020	12.6 /10k2025	−3%	Little change	32%
Suicide rate	18.9 /100k2020	18.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−3.2%	Little change	68%
Traffic deaths	8.3 /100k2015-2019	11.8 /100k2020-2024	+42%	Declined	10%
Unemployment rate	7.7%2020	4.7%2025	−3 points	Improved	51%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.9%2015-2019	5.2%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Violent crime rate	216 /100k2020	172 /100k2025	−20%	Improved	57%

“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 Duluth, MN-WI metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Duluth, MN-WI metro 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, Duluth, MN-WI metro area itself moved −1.6 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

280,870 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

120,365 households (±867)

Duluth, MN-WI metro area
United States share

Under $25k16%19,106
$25k–50k19%23,092
$50k–75k17%19,997

Homes

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

Owners and renters

120,365 households (±867)

Duluth, MN-WI metro area
United States share

Own72%87,067
Rent28%33,298

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

134,016 workers (±1,085)

Duluth, MN-WI metro area
United States share

Drive alone75%100,492
Carpool7.9%10,652
Public transit1.4%1,932

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Duluth, MN-WI employ 31,120 people. 5 pay a median above the US median and 5 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Duluth, MN-WI by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Home Health and Personal Care Aides5,660 jobs	5,660	$36,390US $35,800	+2%	1.64×
Registered Nurses4,410 jobs	4,410	$96,940US $97,550	−1%	1.63×
Retail Salespersons3,490 jobs	3,490	$34,650US $35,410	−2%	1.12×
Cashiers3,290 jobs	3,290	$33,020US $32,880	0%	1.33×
Fast Food and Counter Workers2,910 jobs	2,910	$29,260US $31,200	−6%	0.94×
General and Operations Managers2,690 jobs	2,690	$85,930US $105,770	−19%	0.96×
Office Clerks, General2,590 jobs	2,590	$46,820US $45,010	+4%	1.31×
Waiters and Waitresses2,100 jobs	2,100	$23,150US $35,230	−34%	1.15×
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers2,050 jobs	2,050	$60,970US $58,640	+4%	1.24×
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners1,930 jobs	1,930	$37,230US $36,840	+1%	1.09×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Duluth, MN-WI.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

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.

Duluth, MN-WI has 7,066 employer establishments, 251 for every 10,000 residents (1.01× the US rate of 248), with 106,305 paid employees at an average annual pay of $55,362. The Census Bureau also counts 17,846 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 7,066; 17,846 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 251; US 248
Paid employees: 106,305
Average annual pay: $55,362; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	479	17	1.10×About typical	3,892	$87,822	1,202
Restaurants and other eating places	437	15.5	0.85×About typical	8,402	$21,587	52
Ambulatory health care services	436	15.5	0.74×Fewer than typical	7,011	$83,236	748
Construction of buildings	251	8.9	1.18×About typical	1,731	$91,998	561
Lessors of real estate	239	8.5	0.69×Fewer than typical	1,017	$38,810	1,857
Full-service restaurants	228	8.1	1.05×About typical	4,847	$22,776	14
Religious organizations	214	7.6	1.37×More than typical	1,389	$21,324	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	171	6.1	1.21×About typical	939	$47,570	218
Building equipment contractors	168	6	0.99×About typical	2,291	$94,457	163
Limited-service restaurants	162	5.8	0.72×Fewer than typical	2,925	$20,754	14
Gasoline stations	142	5	1.56×More than typical	1,884	$25,525	5
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	137	4.9	4.01×More than typical	1,180	$15,764	23

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 281,465 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 $66.5M on contracts performed in Duluth, MN-WI metro area: $237 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $66.5M; +54% vs FY2025
Per resident: $237; US $1,994
Sole-source: 13%; US 30%
Single offer: 28%; 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

Forest Service$23.9M36%
Environmental Protection Agency$20.7M

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 $3.2B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Duluth, MN-WI metro area: $11,494 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $3.2B; +46% vs FY2025
Per resident: $11,494; US $12,955
Loan face value: $61.1M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.0%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$1.3B39%
20.934 · Nationally Significant Freight and Highway Projects$1.1B33%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$186.5M5.8%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$153.8M4.8%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$97.1M3.0%
57.001 · Social Insurance for Railroad Workers$61M1.9%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$45.8M1.4%
20.933 · National Infrastructure Investments$36.2M1.1%

Top recipients (organizations)

MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$1.2B36%
SAINT PAUL, MN
DULUTH, CITY OF$27.6M0.9%
DULUTH, MN
RURAL HEALTH RESOURCE CENTER$19.8M0.6%
DULUTH, MN
FOND DU LAC RESERVATION$19.6M0.6%
CARLTON, MN
HOUSING AND REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF DULUTH, MINNESOTA$18.6M

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$1.6B48%
Federal Highway Administration$1.2B36%
Department of Transportation
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$212.1M6.6%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Railroad Retirement Board$61M1.9%
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$38.1M

Assistance by fiscal year

2BFY2021
2BFY2022
2BFY2023
2.2BFY2024
2.2BFY2025
3.2BFY2026

County aggregates

57%

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 Duluth, MN-WI

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

States

The share of the area's residents living in each state.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

DuluthPrincipal city87,093

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.

Grand Rapids, MN79

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
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M20260

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved13

Declined8

Metro and micro areas like Duluth, MN-WI metro 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

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Duluth, MN-WI

States

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

Improved13

Declined8

Look up any occupation

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

Top buying agencies

By type

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

What was bought

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards