Alexandria, Minnesota

Area Profile

14,735 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Alexandria, in Douglas County.

64out of 100
Area Score
Top 31% of 4,196 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 13 sources
Opportunity2,930th of 4,199 cities measured47
SchoolsTop 28% of 4,162 cities measured67
GrowthTop 22% of 4,224 cities measured65
Housing affordabilityTop 24% of 4,218 cities measured75
Climate4,186th of 4,225 cities measured50
Physical resilienceTop 2% of 4,226 cities measured96
Access4,181st of 4,226 cities measured34
Economic stabilityTop 41% of 4,226 cities measured62
The quick read

Unemployment is 3.8% and median household income $61,374, putting employment conditions in the middle range of cities measured. The unemployment rate is published for Douglas County, MN, which contains Alexandria, rather than for Alexandria alone.

In the public schools here, 60% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 15.4 students for every teacher.

Residential permitting has slowed: 177 units authorized over the past twelve months, 30% below the prior year. 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
14,735
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$61,374
Bottom 42% nationally
Density
856/sq mi
17.2 sq mi of land
Median age
40.8
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Minnesota
Micro area
Nearest major airport
FAR
99 mi · Hector Intl
Median home value
$275,300
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment across Douglas County, MN, which contains Alexandria, is 3.8%, lower than in 69% of the 4,226 measured US cities.

Employment across Douglas County, MN, which contains Alexandria, fell 2.6% over the past year, to 21,036 employed residents.

33% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 74% of measured US cities.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsDouglas County, MN’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$69,49245th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftDouglas County, MN’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$66,50638th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$6,5502024 ACS 5-Year$61,374Bottom 42%of 29,2232024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$2,8782024 ACS 5-Year$41,095Top 30%of 31,4202024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year10.5%Top 49%of 31,7732024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±1.7 min2024 ACS 5-Year18.1 minTop 12%of 31,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year33.2%Top 26%of 31,9192024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year78.1%53rd percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentDouglas County, MN’s figureJuly 202621,036Bottom 25%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (3 years)Douglas County, MN’s figureJuly 2026−1.6%Bottom 29%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (year over year)Douglas County, MN’s figureJuly 2026−2.6%Bottom 12%of 4,226July 2026
Labor forceDouglas County, MN’s figureJuly 202621,87824th percentileof 4,226July 2026
Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year85.0%Top 24%of 31,5132024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±0.4%2024 ACS 5-Year0.4%78th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)Douglas County, MN’s figureJuly 2026+0.5%Bottom 19%of 4,226July 2026
Unemployment rateDouglas County, MN’s figureJuly 20263.8%Top 31%of 4,226July 2026
Worked from home ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year9.1%56th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year

Median household income, successive ACS releases

202120222023202462k54k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $61,374 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes city-level labor data only for places of 25,000 or more. This is the figure for Douglas County, MN, which contains this city.

60% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 67% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 15.4 students for every full-time teacher across 8 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
10
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
15.4
across 8 of them
Math proficiency
60.4%
Top 33% in Minnesota
Reading proficiency
66.5%
Top 28% in Minnesota
All 10 public schools on record, largest first.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Alexandria Area High SchoolAlexandria Public School District1,31518.046%69%
Discovery Middle SchoolAlexandria Public School District89816.067%68%
Lincoln ElementaryAlexandria Public School District48115.573%68%
Voyager ElementaryAlexandria Public School District44613.164%56%
Woodland Elementary SchoolAlexandria Public School District41011.473%65%
Kalon Prep Academy · charterKalon Prep Academy14112.8——
Early Education CenterAlexandria Public School District11416.3——
Runestone Alternative SchoolRunestone Area Education District2222.0——
Lakes Country Academy - ALEXREGION 4-LAKES COUNTRY SERVICE COOP72.3——
Middle Level Learning CenterRunestone Area Education District0———

30.0% 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.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the non-metropolitan parts of Minnesota is up 43% over five years, and up 3.8% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $2,564 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.93% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $991, close to the $934 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $991 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $39,600 a year, about 65% of the median household income here of $61,374.

The typical renter household here spends 28% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $934 a month.

A median home at $275,300 costs 3.1 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $88,283, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.

Rent as a share of income
28.3%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.1×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$991
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$934
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$275,300
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Alexandria’s median household income of $61,374, 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 change (1 year)the non-metropolitan parts of Minnesota’s figure2026 Q2+3.8%63rd percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Minnesota’s figure2026 Q2+42.5%49th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Minnesota’s figure2026 Q2+88.5%44th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year3.1Bottom 32%of 26,8152024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year57.4%17th percentileof 31,7172024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±3002024 ACS 5-Year7,71592nd percentileof 32,1772024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$772Top 6%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,378Top 12%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$991Top 7%of 4,072FY2026
Median gross rent ±$782024 ACS 5-Year$934Top 46%of 23,1202024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$15,7262024 ACS 5-Year$275,30069th percentileof 29,1112024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$1582024 ACS 5-Year$2,56467th percentileof 26,4402024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$3,6892024 ACS 5-Year$88,283Top 38%of 27,5482024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.08%2024 ACS 5-Year0.93%47th percentileof 20,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year28.3%Top 50%of 22,9502024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±1862024 ACS 5-Year36096th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year4.7%80th percentileof 31,8952024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year4.9%38th percentileof 31,7692024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±2622024 ACS 5-Year74093rd percentileof 32,3302024 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

65/ 100
Top 22% of 4,224 published city profiles
Permitting has been rising for the last 2 years of a series running from 2022 to 2025. That is the direction of the recent run. The chart below compares the first year with the last, which can point the other way.

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 grown 3% since 2020, reaching 14,914 in 2024.

77% of the 177 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.

Federal tax returns show Douglas County, which contains Alexandria, gained about 0.2% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $69,492, close to the $66,506 of households that moved out.

At 12.0 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US cities.

Units permitted
177
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
12.0
Top 8% nationally
Year over year
−30%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
76.8%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

2020202120222023202415k14k
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.

People moving in and out

Net migration
+0.2%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
24%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$69,492
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$66,506
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Stearns County, MN 143 people · 8.5% of arrivals
  2. Pope County, MN 127 people · 7.6% of arrivals
  3. Hennepin County, MN 123 people · 7.3% of arrivals
  4. Grant County, MN 115 people · 6.8% of arrivals
  5. Otter Tail County, MN 108 people · 6.4% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Pope County, MN 157 people · 9.8% of departures
  2. Hennepin County, MN 117 people · 7.3% of departures
  3. Otter Tail County, MN 102 people · 6.4% of departures
  4. Stearns County, MN 102 people · 6.4% of departures
  5. Todd County, MN 89 people · 5.6% of departures

Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Douglas County, MN. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

Housing units permitted per year

202220232024202519535
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was higher than 2022 (+261%).

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 80°F and January a low of 2°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 24.1 inches.

-10°10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station ALEXANDRIA MUNI AP, 1.1 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND4.0"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals24.1"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals2°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals80°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals51991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals60°F1991-2020 Normals

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

Physical risk

96 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, cold wave and tornado, with inland flooding alone responsible for 45% of it. Inland flooding and cold wave are independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large those hazards are.

Overall hazard risk is lower than 98% of measured US cities.

Winter weatherModerate
Strong windModerate
TornadoElevated
LightningModerate
Heat waveModerate

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

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Violent crime
206
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year
Property crime
632
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year

Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.

Alexandria's police department reported 206 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, near the middle of places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 632.

Douglas County records 0.0 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, lower than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at about 10.6 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at about 8.0 per 100,000 residents in Douglas County.

Homicide
0.0
per 100,000 residents
Firearm deaths, all intents
10.6
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Drug overdose
8.0
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Suicide
14.8
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.

Offenses are reported to the FBI by Alexandria’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Alexandria (Douglas County) rather than Alexandria itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.

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.

Cost of living
Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index only where a monitor sits. There is none in this county, and a modeled value would be a different kind of number from the measured ones everywhere else on this page.
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 Hector Intl at 99 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year85.9%Bottom 34%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle99 miBottom 1%of 4,226NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle1Bottom 1%of 4,226NASR current cycle
No internet access ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year9.8%Bottom 38%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Hector IntlFAR99 mi9,001 ft
Minneapolis-St Paul Intl/Wold-ChamberlainMSP125 mi11,006 ft
Duluth IntlDLH166 mi10,591 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.

Customize your score

What matters to you?

Choose what you weight most heavily. Nothing is saved to an account — your preferences stay in this browser, and the Area Score never changes.

Area Score
64
Your Score
—

Select one or more priorities to see how this location scores against them.

Compare

Put Alexandria side by side with a similar place.

Alexandria vs New UlmAlexandria vs Detroit Lakes

Moving to Alexandria from somewhere else?

You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
SafetyFederal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer
Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency
2025 calendar year
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
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
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
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
SafetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026
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
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
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.

ZIP codes in Alexandria

1 ZIP area

Every ZIP area in Alexandria with census figures of its own, largest first.

ZIPPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueArea Score
5630827,008$78,177$341,90065