Scores by category

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

Safety96#38/924
Economy67#306/925
Housing64#335/925
Health87#117/925
Healthcare67#303/923
Environment96#41/917
Education79#197/925
Infrastructure69#290/925
Community78#204/925
Leisure & amenities76#219/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Strengths

Voter turnout · high78.9%
97/100Minnesota 77.0%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionAggregated from counties
Mammography screening · high60.0%
97/100Minnesota 54.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Social associations · high17.8 /10k
97/100Minnesota 12.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Child poverty rate · low8.6%
95/100Minnesota 9.6%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
93/100Minnesota 2.9 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Drug overdose deaths · low8.2 /100k
92/100Minnesota 15.7 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Distance to an emergency room · high16.3 mi
6/100Minnesota 6.2 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAggregated from counties
Access to exercise opportunities · low50.9%
8/100Minnesota 86.4%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Job growth · low-1.5%
22/100Minnesota -0.3%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
New homes permitted · low1.1 /1k
22/100Minnesota 3.9 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
New business applications · low9.3 /1k
25/100Minnesota 12.7 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.7 /10k
26/100Minnesota 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Homicide rateImproving
3.3 /100k (2021) → 0.0 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
Hot daysWorsening
2 days (2011-2020) → 3 days (2016-2025)
+94%5 yearsUS 41 days → 42 days
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
74.9% (2015-2019) → 87.7% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child care cost burdenWorsening
20.9% (2020 & 2021) → 32.7% (2023 & 2024)
+12 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
New business applicationsImproving
6.0 /1k (2020) → 9.3 /1k (2025)
+55%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Traffic deathsWorsening
8.6 /100k (2015-2019) → 12.9 /100k (2020-2024)
+50%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, Fergus Falls, MN micropolitan area improved on 13 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 4. 7 moved within the margin of error and 8 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

Homicides−100%3.2 /100k → 0.0 /100k
Pharmacies+15%2.0 /10k → 2.3 /10k
Broadband+13 points74.9% → 87.7%
Real income+38%$52,460 → $72,280
Gyms+31%0.5 /10k → 0.7 /10k

Declined4

Traffic deaths+50%8.6 /100k → 12.9 /100k
Uninsured+1.1 points6.1% → 7.3%
Price / income+0.6×3.2× → 3.8×
Firearm deaths+5.3%9.5 /100k → 10.0 /100k

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Fergus Falls, MN micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	7.7 /10k2020	7.9 /10k2025	+2.7%	Little change	35%
Average commute time	21.6 min2015-2019	20.7 min2020-2024	−0.9 min	Within the margin of error	86%
Average weekly wage	$8482020	$1,0452025	+23%	Improved	50%
Bachelor's degree or higher	24.9%2015-2019	28.3%2020-2024	+3.4 points	Improved	64%
Broadband subscriptions	74.9%2015-2019	87.7%2020-2024	+13 points	Improved	83%
Child poverty rate	11.4%2015-2019	8.6%2020-2024	−2.8 points	Improved	55%
Distance to an airport	61 mi2020	61 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	8.4 /100k2020	8.2 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−2.4%	Little change	30%
Effective property tax rate	0.81%2015-2019	0.73%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	35%
Firearm deaths	9.5 /100k2020	10.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+5.3%	Declined	41%
Grocery stores	1.7 /10k2020	1.6 /10k2025	−1.5%	Little change	44%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.5 /10k2020	0.7 /10k2025	+31%	Improved	80%
High school diploma or higher	92.1%2015-2019	94.4%2020-2024	+2.3 points	Within the margin of error	67%
Home price to income ratio	3.2×2015-2019	3.8×2020-2024	+0.6×	Declined	37%
Homicide rate	3.2 /100k2020	0.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−100%	Improved	95%
Income adjusted for local prices	$52,4602019	$72,2802024	+38%	Improved	83%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4342015-2019	0.4332020-2024	−0.001	Within the margin of error	56%
Median household income	$58,6822015-2019	$72,2552020-2024	+23%	Improved	29%
New business applications	6.0 /1k2020	9.3 /1k2025	+55%	Improved	64%
Pharmacies	2.0 /10k2020	2.3 /10k2025	+15%	Improved	92%
Poverty rate	9.3%2015-2019	8.7%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	41%
Property crime rate	1,334 /100k2020	734 /100k2025	−45%	Improved	75%
Public libraries	1.0 /10k2019	1.0 /10k2024	−3.7%	Little change	32%
Public transit commuters	1.2%2015-2019	0.8%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	44%
Rent as share of income	27.0%2015-2019	27.5%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	48%
Rent-burdened households	43.4%2015-2019	42.5%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	66%
Restaurants and bars	11.8 /10k2020	11.6 /10k2025	−1.5%	Little change	38%
Suicide rate	15.5 /100k2020	15.6 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+0.6%	Little change	60%
Traffic deaths	8.6 /100k2015-2019	12.9 /100k2020-2024	+50%	Declined	6%
Unemployment rate	5.6%2020	4.6%2025	−1 points	Improved	5%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.1%2015-2019	7.3%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Declined	17%
Violent crime rate	135 /100k2020	114 /100k2025	−15%	Improved	49%

“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 Fergus Falls, MN micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Fergus Falls, 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, Fergus Falls, MN micropolitan area itself moved +1 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

60,475 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

25,157 households (±375)

Fergus Falls, MN micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k14%3,604
$25k–50k19%4,897
$50k–75k18%4,562

Homes

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

Owners and renters

25,157 households (±375)

Fergus Falls, MN micropolitan area
United States share

Own79%19,996
Rent21%5,161

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

27,869 workers (±498)

Fergus Falls, MN micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone75%20,976
Carpool8.9%2,480
Public transit0.8%†228

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 Fergus Falls, 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.

Fergus Falls, MN has 1,730 employer establishments, 285 for every 10,000 residents (1.15× the US rate of 248), with 18,813 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,353. The Census Bureau also counts 5,344 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,730; 5,344 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 285; US 248
Paid employees: 18,813
Average annual pay: $49,353; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	162	26.7	1.72×More than typical	579	$64,712	477
Restaurants and other eating places	104	17.1	0.93×About typical	1,296	$22,194	20
Ambulatory health care services	90	14.8	0.71×Fewer than typical	1,052	$60,315	160
Religious organizations	80	13.2	2.37×More than typical	439	$18,973	—
Construction of buildings	71	11.7	1.55×More than typical	280	$64,393	268
Building equipment contractors	63	10.4	1.72×More than typical	319	$61,649	72
Full-service restaurants	56	9.2	1.20×About typical	687	$22,489	10
Services to buildings and dwellings	54	8.9	1.32×More than typical	511	$50,556	325
Insurance agencies and brokerages	52	8.6	1.95×More than typical	127	$56,953	94
Gasoline stations	48	7.9	2.44×More than typical	605	$24,653	3
Lessors of real estate	48	7.9	0.64×Fewer than typical	119	$36,975	560
Truck transportation	45	7.4	1.46×More than typical	148	$47,730	191

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 60,754 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 $37.6M on contracts performed in Fergus Falls, MN micropolitan area: $616 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $37.6M; −9.7% vs FY2025
Per resident: $616; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.1%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Agricultural Marketing Service$34.7M92%
Department of Veterans Affairs$1.8M

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 $492.9M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Fergus Falls, MN micropolitan area: $8,075 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $492.9M; −10% vs FY2025
Per resident: $8,075; US $12,955
Loan face value: $12.3M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 5.3%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$330.1M67%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$37M7.5%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$28.7M5.8%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$20.8M4.2%
10.988 · Supplemental Disaster Relief Program$15M3.0%
20.287 · Surface Transportation Block Grant Program$12M2.4%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$8.5M1.7%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$5.2M1.1%

Top recipients (organizations)

MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$18.9M3.8%
SAINT PAUL, MN
MN STATE COMMUNITY & TECHNICAL CO$9M1.8%
FERGUS FALLS, MN
BACK 9 RANCH$1.6M0.3%
HENNING, MN
CITY OF WADENA$1.2M0.2%
WADENA, MN
RIVER BEND APARTMENTS LIMITED PARTNERSHIP$503.3K

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$384.9M78%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$42.1M8.5%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Farm Service Agency$20.1M4.1%
Department of Agriculture
Federal Highway Administration$18.9M3.8%
Department of Transportation
Department of Education$9.2M

Assistance by fiscal year

420.1MFY2021
444.5MFY2022
434.6MFY2023
460.4MFY2024
550.4MFY2025
492.9MFY2026

County aggregates

88%

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 Fergus Falls, 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.

Otter Tail CountyCentral county9461,041

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

Fergus FallsPrincipal city14,181

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
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M22260

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved13

Declined4

Metro and micro areas like Fergus Falls, 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

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Fergus Falls, 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

Improved13

Declined4

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