New Ulm, MN

Micro Area Profile

25,800 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the New Ulm, MN micropolitan area.

66out of 100
Area Score
Top 21% of 834 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 9 sources
Opportunity428th of 835 metro and micro areas measured50
SchoolsTop 26% of 695 metro and micro areas measured70
GrowthTop 19% of 834 metro and micro areas measured69
Housing affordabilityTop 44% of 835 metro and micro areas measured75
Climate784th of 835 metro and micro areas measured53
Physical resilienceTop 10% of 835 metro and micro areas measured84
Access776th of 835 metro and micro areas measured42
Economic stabilityTop 7% of 835 metro and micro areas measured89
The quick read

Unemployment is 4.1% and median household income $69,378, putting employment conditions in the middle range of metro and micro areas measured.

In the public schools here, 57% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 13.8 students for every teacher.

Development activity is both elevated and accelerating — 149 housing units permitted over the past twelve months, against 29 the year before. That follows a longer stretch moving the other way, through 2025.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
25,800
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$69,378
Top 43% nationally
Density
42/sq mi
611.1 sq mi of land
Median age
42.0
2024 ACS 5-Year
Area type
Micropolitan area
Minnesota
Nearest major airport
MSP
86 mi · Minneapolis-St Paul Intl/Wold-Chamberlain
Median home value
$191,200
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 4.1%, lower than in 53% of the 835 measured US metro and micro areas.

Employment fell 1.9% over the past year, to 13,415 employed residents.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$3,1502024 ACS 5-Year$69,378Top 43%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,0522024 ACS 5-Year$37,653Top 39%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year8.2%Top 8%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±0.7 min2024 ACS 5-Year16.1 minTop 2%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year24.5%Bottom 48%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year79.8%72nd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202613,415Bottom 9%of 835July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026+1.5%Top 29%of 835July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026−1.9%Bottom 24%of 835July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202613,98910th percentileof 835July 2026
Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year87.4%Top 1%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±0.3%2024 ACS 5-Year0.4%54th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026+0.3%Bottom 23%of 835July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20264.1%Top 47%of 835July 2026
Worked from home ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year7.3%36th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/075.91.6
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 4.1% in July 2026. It has been falling, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

57% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 59% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 13.8 students for every full-time teacher across 15 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
18
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
13.8
across 15 of them
Math proficiency
57.2%
Top 18% in Minnesota
Reading proficiency
59.4%
Top 45% in Minnesota
The 12 largest of 18 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
New Ulm High SchoolNEW ULM PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT68718.667%67%
Jefferson ElementaryNEW ULM PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT64313.457%49%
New Ulm Middle SchoolNEW ULM PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT61715.850%60%
Springfield ElementarySPRINGFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT33914.787%72%
Sleepy Eye ElementarySLEEPY EYE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT32413.057%62%
Springfield SecondarySPRINGFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT31413.752%62%
Sleepy Eye Sec.SLEEPY EYE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT23810.842%57%
Washington Learning CenterNEW ULM PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT18012.0——
River Bend Early Childhood Prog.RIVER BEND EDUCATION DISTRICT9022.5——
Comfrey ElementaryCOMFREY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT579.525%45%
Comfrey SecondaryCOMFREY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT479.425%65%
River Bend Area Learning CenterRIVER BEND EDUCATION DISTRICT436.110%10%

35.7% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Minnesota’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $1,976 a year in real estate taxes, about 1.03% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $973, some 9% above the $890 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $973 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $38,900 a year, about 56% of the median household income here of $69,378.

The typical renter household here spends 29% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $890 a month.

A median home at $191,200 costs 2.4 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $80,483, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.

Rent as a share of income
28.9%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
2.4×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$973
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$890
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$191,200
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against New Ulm’s median household income of $69,378, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year2.4Top 34%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year78.9%94th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±442024 ACS 5-Year11,8277th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$742Top 14%of 818FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,177Top 10%of 818FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$973Top 21%of 818FY2026
Median gross rent ±$722024 ACS 5-Year$890Top 32%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$11,0152024 ACS 5-Year$191,20040th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$692024 ACS 5-Year$1,97650th percentileof 9332024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$3,2232024 ACS 5-Year$80,483Bottom 48%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.07%2024 ACS 5-Year1.03%64th percentileof 9322024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year28.9%Top 50%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±562024 ACS 5-Year805th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year0.7%15th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year6.1%31st percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±1722024 ACS 5-Year8001st percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.

Development Momentum

69/ 100
Top 19% of 834 published metro profiles
The most recent move in permitting was downward, in a series running from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has fallen 1% since 2020, to 25,710 in 2024.

79% of the 149 units permitted over the past twelve months are in buildings of five or more homes, so new supply is concentrated in apartments and condominiums rather than detached houses.

At 5.8 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metro and micro areas.

Units permitted
149
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
5.8
Top 21% nationally
Year over year
+414%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
78.5%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

2020202120222023202426k26k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been holding roughly steady, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 84°F and January a low of 6°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 28.0 inches.

-10°10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station REDWOOD FALLS MUNI AP, 27.0 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND4.7"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals28.0"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals6°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals84°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals51991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals58°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

84 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are cold wave, inland flooding and tornado, with cold wave alone responsible for 41% of it. Cold wave is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.

Overall hazard risk is lower than 90% of measured US metro and micro areas.

Winter weatherModerate
Strong windHigh
HailModerate
TornadoHigh
Inland floodingModerate
Heat waveModerate
LightningModerate

Low or minimal exposure: cold wave, drought, landslide, ice storm, wildfire, earthquake, avalanche, coastal flooding, hurricane, tsunami, volcanic activity.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Reported crime
Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
Cost of living
Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
Death-certificate rates
The CDC publishes these rates by county, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it do.
Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index by county, and only where a monitor sits, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it show it where one exists.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

1 major airport lies within 100 miles, the nearest Minneapolis-St Paul Intl/Wold-Chamberlain at 86 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year86.8%Bottom 32%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle86 miBottom 8%of 835NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle1Bottom 4%of 835NASR current cycle
No internet access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year10.9%Bottom 27%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Minneapolis-St Paul Intl/Wold-ChamberlainMSP86 mi11,006 ft
Joe Foss FldFSD110 mi9,000 ft
Rochester IntlRST113 mi9,034 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
66
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

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