Brainerd, MN

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2024 Population
98,678
US Senator
Amy Klobuchar
Democratic(DFL) Party
US Senator
Tina Smith
Democratic(DFL) Party
2024 Median Age
46.8
0.214% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
10.8%
1.45% 1-year increase
2024 Median Household Income
$71,384
2.99% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$301,000
11.3% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
44,481
0.0719% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Brainerd, MN reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

99.6% of the residents in Brainerd, MN are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Brainerd, MN are Central Lakes College-Brainerd (876 degrees awarded in 2023) and Leech Lake Tribal College (42 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Brainerd, MN was $301,000, and the homeownership rate was 79.8%.

Most people in Brainerd, MN drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 23.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Brainerd, MN was 2 cars per household.

United StatesMinnesota

Population & Diversity

Brainerd, MN is home to a population of 98.7k people, from which 99.6% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.33% of Brainerd, MN residents were born outside of the country (1.32k people).

In 2024, there were 27.9 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (88.1k people) in Brainerd, MN than any other race or ethnicity. There were 3.16k American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) and 2.98k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.6%
2024 Citizenship
99.5%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.6% of Brainerd, MN residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Brainerd, MN was 99.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Brainerd, MN compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Brainerd, MN
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    88.1k ± 251
  2. American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
    3.16k ± 171
  3. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
    2.98k ± 221
1.68%
Hispanic Population
1.65k people

In 2024, there were 27.9 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (88.1k people) in Brainerd, MN than any other race or ethnicity. There were 3.16k American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) and 2.98k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

1.68% of the people in Brainerd, MN are hispanic (1.65k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Brainerd, MN as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for Minnesota.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    58,764 ± 5,921 people
  2. Somalia
    36,253 ± 4,660 people
  3. India
    31,836 ± 4,368 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Minnesota was Mexico, the natal country of 58,764 Minnesota residents, followed by Somalia with 36,253 and India with 31,836.

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Foreign-Born Population

1.33%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
1.32k people
1.42%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
1.39k people

As of 2024, 1.33% of Brainerd, MN residents (1.32k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Brainerd, MN was 1.42%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Brainerd, MN compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    2,825 ± 211
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    1,090 ± 157
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    715 ± 113

Brainerd, MN has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.59 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Brainerd, MN.

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Economy

The economy of Brainerd, MN employs 44.5k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Brainerd, MN were Health Care & Social Assistance (7,595 people), Retail Trade (5,419 people), and Manufacturing (4,567 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($118,173), Utilities ($83,125), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($78,864).

Employment

Occupations

44.5k
2024 Value
± 1,134
−0.0719%
1 Year decline
± 3.55%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Brainerd, MN declined at a rate of −0.0719%, from 44.5k employees to 44.5k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Brainerd, MN, are Management Occupations (4,775 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (4,759 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (4,400 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Brainerd, MN.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Minnesota.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Minnesota (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

44.5k
2024 Value
± 1,134
−0.0719%
1 Year decline
± 3.55%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Brainerd, MN declined at a rate of −0.0719%, from 44.5k employees to 44.5k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Brainerd, MN, are Health Care & Social Assistance (7,595 people), Retail Trade (5,419 people), and Manufacturing (4,567 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Brainerd, MN, though some of these residents may live in Brainerd, MN and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$52,939
Median earning men ± $1,364
$37,585
Median earning women ± $1,207

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($72,716), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($72,216), and Public Administration ($70,357).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($61,144), Construction ($48,243), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($47,105).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Minnesota.
Y-Axis
2.26%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 2.93M people employed in Minnesota. This represents a 2.26% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 13.4%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Minnesota.

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Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments
  1. 354
    Construction
  2. 220
    Retail Trade
  3. 180
    Other Services (except Public Administration)

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

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Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll
  1. $403k
    Health Care and Social Assistance
  2. $220k
    Retail Trade
  3. $187k
    Manufacturing

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

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Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Minnesota went to Kamala Harris with 50.9% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (46.7%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.738%).

Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith are the senators currently representing the state of Minnesota. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Minnesota is currently represented by 8 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for Brainerd, MN. Showing the available data for Minnesota.
2024 Election Results
  1. Kamala Harris (50.9%)
    Democratic Party
  2. Donald J. Trump (46.7%)
    Republican Party
  3. Robert Kennedy (0.738%)
    Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Minnesota went to Kamala Harris with 50.9% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (46.7%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.738%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Minnesota for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Minnesota

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Minnesota.
Amy Klobuchar
Senator from Minnesota1
Assumed office on January 3, 2007
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) is the Minnesota affiliate of the U.S. Democratic Party and its members are counted as Democrats.
Tina Smith
Senator from Minnesota2
Assumed office on January 3, 2018
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Al Franken.

Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith are the senators currently representing Minnesota.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Minnesota over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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Education

In 2023, universities in Brainerd, MN awarded 918 degrees. The student population of Brainerd, MN in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 2,015 male students and 2,760 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Brainerd, MN are White (793 and 86.6%), Two or More Races (33 and 3.6%), American Indian or Alaska Native (32 and 3.49%), and Hispanic or Latino (23 and 2.51%).

The largest universities in Brainerd, MN by number of degrees awarded are Central Lakes College-Brainerd (876 and 95.4%) and Leech Lake Tribal College (42 and 4.58%).

The most popular majors in Brainerd, MN are Liberal Arts & Sciences (328 and 35.7%), Registered Nursing (82 and 8.93%), and Farm & Ranch Management (64 and 6.97%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 4,775 students enrolled in Brainerd, MN, 42.2% men and 57.8% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 3,728 records, of which 58% were women and 42% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. Registered Nursing
    82 degrees awarded
  2. Criminal Justice - Police Science
    13 degrees awarded
  3. Liberal Arts & Sciences
    313 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Brainerd, MN was Registered Nursing with 82 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Brainerd, MN according to their major.

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Universities

Gender
Race
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
  1. Central Lakes College-Brainerd
    876 degrees awarded
  2. Leech Lake Tribal College
    42 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Central Lakes College-Brainerd with 876 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

In 2023, 409 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Brainerd, MN, which is 0.804 times less than the 509 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 793 degrees mean that there were 24 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Two or More Races, with 33 degrees awarded.

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Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

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Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($4,656) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($523) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($835) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Brainerd, MN was $301,000 in 2024, which is 0.905 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $270,500 to $301,000, a 11.3% increase. The homeownership rate in Brainerd, MN is 79.8%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Brainerd, MN have an average commute time of 23.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Brainerd, MN is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$301,000
Median Property Value 2024
±$6,479
$33,743
Median Property Taxes
±$858

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Brainerd, MN the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Brainerd, MN compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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Rent vs Own

79.8%
Homeownership
2024
65.3%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 79.8% of the housing units in Brainerd, MN were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 79.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Brainerd, MN compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$71,384
Median Household Income
± $1,552
42.3k
Number of Households
± 1,043

In 2024, the median household income of the 42.3k households in Brainerd, MN grew to $71,384 from the previous year's value of $69,311.

The following chart displays the households in Brainerd, MN distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Brainerd, MN is from Minnesota.
0.454
2023 Wage GINI in Minnesota
0.458
2022 Wage GINI in Minnesota

In 2023, the income inequality in Minnesota was 0.454 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.78% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Minnesota was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Minnesota in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Minnesota across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (73.6%)
  2. Worked At Home (12.9%)
  3. Carpooled (9.33%)

In 2024, 73.6% of workers in Brainerd, MN drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (12.9%) and those who carpooled to work (9.33%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

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Commute Time

23.7 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Brainerd, MN have a shorter commute time (23.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.56% of the workforce in Brainerd, MN have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Brainerd, MN compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Brainerd, MN distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Brainerd, MN have 2 cars.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

10.8% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Brainerd, MN (10.5k out of 97.2k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Males 55 - 64 and then Females 65 - 74.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Brainerd, MN is White, followed by Native American and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

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Health

94.3% of the population of Brainerd, MN has health coverage, with 38.2% on employee plans, 19.5% on Medicaid, 19.2% on Medicare, 15.4% on non-group plans, and 2% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Minnesota see 1,134 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,134 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1287 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 278 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.4% were men and 49.6% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Minnesota.
1,134 to 1
Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Minnesota

Primary care physicians in Minnesota see an average of 1,134 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,134 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Minnesota in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

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Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 21.6% under 18 years, 15.6% between 18 and 34 years, 37.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 24.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.4% were men and 49.6% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

5.73%
Uninsured
38.2%
Employer Coverage
19.5%
Medicaid
19.2%
Medicare
15.4%
Non-Group
2%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Brainerd, MN declined by 6.73% from 6.14% to 5.73%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Brainerd, MN changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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