Scores by category

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

Safety91#88/924
Economy55#414/925
Housing16#781/925
Health71#273/925
Healthcare79#197/923
Environment88#107/917
Education74#239/925
Infrastructure41#547/925
Community88#113/925
Leisure & amenities82#171/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Strengths

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low4.4 µg/m³
98/100Minnesota 6.3 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
High school diploma or higher · high95.2%
94/100Minnesota 93.9%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
93/100Minnesota 2.9 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Hot days · low2 days
93/100Minnesota 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
Property crime rate · low515 /100k
92/100Minnesota 1,412 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Distance to an airport · high157 mi
3/100Minnesota 43 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Rent-burdened households · high58.1%
4/100Minnesota 48.1%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Unemployment rate · high6.2%
5/100Minnesota 3.9%United States 4.3%2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPartial year
Drought exposure · high91%
7/100Minnesota 36%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAggregated from counties
Rent as share of income · high33.2%
9/100Minnesota 29.2%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Comfortable days · low23.1%
10/100Minnesota 23.6%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
60% (2021) → 91% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+31 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
50.5% (2010 & 2021) → 65.9% (2022 & 2024)
+15 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
Drug overdose deathsImproving
24.4 /100k (2021) → 10.1 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−59%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Suicide rateImproving
35.5 /100k (2021) → 16.8 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−53%5 yearsUS 14.5 /100k → 14.1 /100k
New business applicationsImproving
5.9 /1k (2020) → 9.0 /1k (2025)
+52%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
78.6% (2015-2019) → 88.5% (2020-2024)
+9.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

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, Grand Rapids, MN micropolitan area improved on 13 of 30 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 10 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.

Improved13

Suicides−42%28.9 /100k → 16.8 /100k
Gyms+32%0.7 /10k → 0.9 /10k
Overdose deaths−59%24.4 /100k → 10.1 /100k
Violent crime−39%195 /100k → 119 /100k
Real income+35%$49,663 → $67,173

Declined2

Traffic deaths+41%10.6 /100k → 15.0 /100k
Price / income+0.3×3.0× → 3.3×

All 30 measures

Change of every measure of Grand Rapids, MN micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	5.3 /10k2020	5.9 /10k2025	+12%	Improved	58%
Average commute time	23.3 min2015-2019	24.1 min2020-2024	+0.8 min	Within the margin of error	36%
Bachelor's degree or higher	23.1%2015-2019	25.9%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Improved	51%
Broadband subscriptions	78.6%2015-2019	88.5%2020-2024	+9.9 points	Improved	61%
Child poverty rate	15.9%2015-2019	14.7%2020-2024	−1.2 points	Within the margin of error	36%
Distance to an airport	157 mi2020	157 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	24.4 /100k2020	10.1 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−59%	Improved	89%
Effective property tax rate	0.87%2015-2019	0.86%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Firearm deaths	14.8 /100k2020	12.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−14%	Improved	74%
Grocery stores	2.0 /10k2020	2.0 /10k2025	−0.8%	Little change	46%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.7 /10k2020	0.9 /10k2025	+32%	Improved	81%
High school diploma or higher	94.0%2015-2019	95.2%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	36%
Home price to income ratio	3.0×2015-2019	3.3×2020-2024	+0.3×	Declined	68%
Income adjusted for local prices	$49,6632019	$67,1732024	+35%	Improved	73%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4312015-2019	0.4392020-2024	+0.008	Within the margin of error	31%
Median household income	$55,1392015-2019	$68,6032020-2024	+24%	Improved	35%
New business applications	5.9 /1k2020	9.0 /1k2025	+52%	Improved	60%
Pharmacies	1.3 /10k2020	1.3 /10k2025	−0.8%	Little change	69%
Poverty rate	12.2%2015-2019	12.2%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Property crime rate	853 /100k2020	515 /100k2025	−40%	Improved	64%
Public libraries	1.3 /10k2019	1.3 /10k2024	−0.5%	Little change	60%
Public transit commuters	0.8%2015-2019	1.0%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	95%
Rent as share of income	31.2%2015-2019	33.2%2020-2024	+2 points	Within the margin of error	21%
Rent-burdened households	52.1%2015-2019	58.1%2020-2024	+6 points	Within the margin of error	13%
Restaurants and bars	10.7 /10k2020	10.6 /10k2025	−0.8%	Little change	42%
Suicide rate	28.9 /100k2020	16.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−42%	Improved	97%
Traffic deaths	10.6 /100k2015-2019	15.0 /100k2020-2024	+41%	Declined	10%
Unemployment rate	9.1%2020	6.2%2025	−2.9 points	Improved	47%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.8%2015-2019	6.4%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	58%
Violent crime rate	195 /100k2020	119 /100k2025	−39%	Improved	87%

“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 Grand Rapids, MN micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Grand Rapids, 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, Grand Rapids, MN micropolitan area itself moved +2.1 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

45,275 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

18,541 households (±392)

Grand Rapids, MN micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k16%2,981
$25k–50k19%3,556
$50k–75k19%3,575

Homes

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

Owners and renters

18,541 households (±392)

Grand Rapids, MN micropolitan area
United States share

Own83%15,396
Rent17%3,145

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

18,949 workers (±401)

Grand Rapids, MN micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone76%14,453
Carpool10%1,908
Public transit1.0%†187

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 Grand Rapids, 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.

Grand Rapids, MN has 1,175 employer establishments, 258 for every 10,000 residents (1.04× the US rate of 248), with 13,380 paid employees at an average annual pay of $51,665. The Census Bureau also counts 3,168 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,175; 3,168 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 258; US 248
Paid employees: 13,380
Average annual pay: $51,665; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	106	23.3	1.51×More than typical	484	$84,764	241
Ambulatory health care services	86	18.9	0.91×About typical	1,327	$51,399	124
Restaurants and other eating places	61	13.4	0.73×Fewer than typical	1,036	$20,676	7
Construction of buildings	48	10.6	1.40×More than typical	160	$61,650	122
Religious organizations	38	8.4	1.51×More than typical	195	$18,108	—
Lessors of real estate	37	8.1	0.66×Fewer than typical	91	$54,626	298
Other specialty trade contractors	36	7.9	3.15×More than typical	247	$91,769	94
Building equipment contractors	34	7.5	1.24×About typical	143	$62,455	31
Full-service restaurants	34	7.5	0.97×About typical	493	$23,142	—
Gasoline stations	33	7.3	2.24×More than typical	374	$22,307	—
Offices of other health practitioners	29	6.4	1.05×About typical	172	$46,593	68
Services to buildings and dwellings	27	5.9	0.88×About typical	214	$45,874	139

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 45,487 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 $2.8M on contracts performed in Grand Rapids, MN micropolitan area: $61.93 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $2.8M; +37% vs FY2025
Per resident: $61.93; US $1,994
Sole-source: 3.2%; US 30%
Single offer: 6.7%; 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

Department of Veterans Affairs$1.2M41%
Forest Service$730.4K26%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$350K12%
Federal Aviation Administration$299.8K11%
Department of the Army$187.1K6.7%
National Aeronautics and Space Administration$26.4K0.9%
U.S. Geological Survey$26.1K0.9%
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service$18.2K0.6%

Top recipients

GRAND VILLAGE$1.1M38%
JEFF POWELL EXCAVATING LLC$350K12%
BARRY WILLIAMS ELECTRIC INC$299.8K11%
UNITED PARCEL SERVICE CO.$211K7.5%
GERIT HANSON CONTRACTING, INC.$160.8K5.7%

Spending by fiscal year

1.5MFY2017
1.8MFY2018
3.1MFY2019
2.9MFY2020
2.6MFY2021
2.2MFY2022
2.4MFY2023
2.8M

Top industries (NAICS)

Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) · 6231$1.1M38%
Other specialty trade contractors · 2389$350K12%
Building equipment contractors · 2382$299.8K11%
Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$279.3K9.9%
Couriers and express delivery services · 4921$211K7.5%

Largest awards

EXPRESS REPORT: NURSING HOME SERVICES$1.1M
GRAND VILLAGE· Itasca County, MN· Health & medical· May 1, 2026 – May 1, 2026· 36C26326K0011
MN-GLACIAL RIDGE NWR-BRUSH/TREE REMOVAL$350K
JEFF POWELL EXCAVATING LLC· Itasca County, MN· Facilities & utilities· Aug 26, 2026 – Aug 26, 2026· 140F0S26P0022
IIJA FUNDED. NASHWAUK, MN (QJD) ARSR JCN:19004780 THIS UNILATERAL AWARD IS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION COST OF THE UPS AND UPS ANCILLARY EQUIPMENT REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION AND ELECTRICAL, LIGHTING, AND SERVICE SUPPLY EQUIPMENT UPGRADE AT NASHWAUK, MN (QJD)$299.8K
BARRY WILLIAMS ELECTRIC INC· Itasca County, MN· Equipment maintenance· Jan 28, 2026 – Jan 28, 2026· 6973GH26F00338

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 $391.6M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Grand Rapids, MN micropolitan area: $8,625 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $391.6M; −6.3% vs FY2025
Per resident: $8,625; US $12,955
Loan face value: $85.5M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.3%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$252.2M64%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$40.8M10%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$30.2M7.7%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$19.6M5.0%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$6.1M1.5%
20.116 · Airport Improvement Program$5.1M1.3%
93.774 · Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance$4.7M1.2%
15.022 · Tribal Self-Governance$3.9M1.0%

Top recipients (organizations)

MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$4.2M1.1%
SAINT PAUL, MN
CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS$3.1M0.8%
GRAND RAPIDS, MN
KOOTASCA COMMUNITY ACTION, INC.$3.1M0.8%
GRAND RAPIDS, MN
CHISHOLM-HIBBING AIRPORT AUTHORITY$3M0.8%
HIBBING, MN
ITASCA COUNTY HRA$2.8M

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$308.2M79%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$45.7M12%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$9.4M2.4%
Department of Health and Human Services
Federal Aviation Administration$6.8M1.7%
Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration

Assistance by fiscal year

328.7MFY2021
333.6MFY2022
357.4MFY2023
371.6MFY2024
417.9MFY2025
391.6MFY2026

County aggregates

93%

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 Grand Rapids, 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.

Itasca CountyCentral county8545,404

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

Grand RapidsPrincipal city11,207

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/M24330

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved13

Declined2

Metro and micro areas like Grand Rapids, 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 Grand Rapids, 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

Declined2

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