56601 — Bemidji, Minnesota

Area Profile

Income, jobs, climate, physical risk and development data for ZIP code 56601. Its median home value runs 32% above Bemidji as a whole, which is why this ZIP carries a profile of its own.

49out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 17% of 3,113 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 13 sources
Opportunity2,915th of 3,116 ZIP areas measured28
Schools1,761st of 3,047 ZIP areas measured44
Growth1,748th of 3,124 ZIP areas measured48
Housing affordabilityTop 17% of 3,112 ZIP areas measured79
Climate3,118th of 3,127 ZIP areas measured45
Physical resilienceTop 38% of 3,127 ZIP areas measured67
Access3,106th of 3,127 ZIP areas measured11
Economic stabilityTop 48% of 3,127 ZIP areas measured56
The quick read

Employment conditions sit below most comparable ZIP areas measured: unemployment is 6.0% and the Opportunity signal places 56601 in the bottom 6%. The unemployment rate is published for Bemidji, MN, which contains 56601, rather than for 56601 alone.

In the public schools here, 52% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 14.4 students for every teacher.

Housing is more affordable relative to local incomes than in most ZIP areas measured: rent takes 27% of renter income and the median home is 2.9 times what its owners earn.

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
34,784
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$72,262
Top 49% nationally
Density
94/sq mi
371.1 sq mi of land
Median age
35.9
2024 ACS 5-Year
City
Bemidji
Minnesota
Micro area
Nearest major airport
FAR
102 mi · Hector Intl
Median home value
$260,900
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment across Bemidji, MN, which contains 56601, is 6.0% — higher than in all but 8% of the 3,127 measured US ZIP areas.

Employment across Bemidji, MN, which contains 56601, fell 2.4% over the past year, to 21,503 employed residents.

37% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 76% of measured US ZIP areas.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsBeltrami County, MN’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$58,77629th percentileof 2,996filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftBeltrami County, MN’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$56,53023rd percentileof 2,996filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$3,1372024 ACS 5-Year$72,262Top 49%of 31,0492024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,4792024 ACS 5-Year$38,496Top 44%of 32,8222024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year11.7%Bottom 43%of 32,8462024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±1.2 min2024 ACS 5-Year20.3 minTop 14%of 32,8872024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year37.1%Top 24%of 33,1932024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year77.2%55th percentileof 32,7982024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentBemidji, MN’s figureJuly 202621,503Bottom 21%of 3,127July 2026
Employment change (3 years)Bemidji, MN’s figureJuly 2026−3.3%Bottom 11%of 3,127July 2026
Employment change (year over year)Bemidji, MN’s figureJuly 2026−2.4%Bottom 13%of 3,127July 2026
Labor forceBemidji, MN’s figureJuly 202622,88122nd percentileof 3,127July 2026
Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year80.8%Top 39%of 32,8832024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±0.4%2024 ACS 5-Year0.7%76th percentileof 32,7982024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)Bemidji, MN’s figureJuly 2026+0.8%Bottom 8%of 3,127July 2026
Unemployment rateBemidji, MN’s figureJuly 20266.0%Bottom 8%of 3,127July 2026
Worked from home ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year8.4%43rd percentileof 32,7982024 ACS 5-Year

Median household income, successive ACS releases

202120222023202472k60k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $72,262 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 does not publish labor-force data for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Bemidji, MN, the city containing this ZIP code.

52% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 55% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 14.4 students for every full-time teacher across 16 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
22
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
14.4
across 16 of them
Math proficiency
52.1%
Bottom 43% in Minnesota
Reading proficiency
55.0%
Bottom 33% in Minnesota
The 12 largest of 22 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Bemidji Senior HighBemidji Public School District1,53720.053%55%
Bemidji MiddleBemidji Public School District96715.954%61%
Gene Dillon Elementary SchoolBemidji Public School District66714.845%51%
Lincoln ElementaryBemidji Public School District32013.962%52%
Horace May ElementaryBemidji Public School District30012.062%57%
Northern ElementaryBemidji Public School District28214.872%62%
J.W. Smith ElementaryBemidji Public School District23811.955%45%
Schoolcraft Learning Community · charterSCHOOLCRAFT LEARNING COMMUNITY CHTR19210.152%57%
Treknorth High School · charterTREKNORTH HIGH SCHOOL14416.035%65%
Aurora Waasakone Community of Learn · charterAurora Waasakone Community of Learn13310.2——
Paul Bunyan CenterBemidji Public School District1187.4——
Trek North Middle School · charterTREKNORTH HIGH SCHOOL10913.642%62%

44.5% 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 $2,469 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.95% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,135, close to the $1,088 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,135 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $45,400 a year, about 63% of the median household income here of $72,262.

The typical renter household here spends 27% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,088 a month.

A median home at $260,900 costs 2.9 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $90,120, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.

Rent as a share of income
27.3%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
2.9×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,135
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$1,088
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$260,900
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against 56601’s median household income of $72,262, 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%65th percentileof 3,0712026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Minnesota’s figure2026 Q2+42.5%46th percentileof 3,0712026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Minnesota’s figure2026 Q2+88.5%40th percentileof 3,0712026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year2.9Bottom 43%of 29,2752024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year67.2%24th percentileof 32,7502024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±2792024 ACS 5-Year16,08993rd percentileof 33,4602024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$876Top 16%of 3,031FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,361Top 13%of 3,031FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,135Top 20%of 3,031FY2026
Median gross rent ±$252024 ACS 5-Year$1,088Bottom 43%of 26,3962024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$8,7422024 ACS 5-Year$260,90060th percentileof 30,8122024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$782024 ACS 5-Year$2,46961st percentileof 28,9352024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$3,7852024 ACS 5-Year$90,120Top 40%of 29,8022024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.04%2024 ACS 5-Year0.95%53rd percentileof 24,0992024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year27.3%Top 44%of 26,2472024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±2002024 ACS 5-Year1,27298th percentileof 33,7722024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year7.9%78th percentileof 32,9612024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year4.3%31st percentileof 32,7882024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±2722024 ACS 5-Year1,96596th percentileof 33,7722024 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

48/ 100
Ranks 1,748 of 3,124 published ZIP profiles

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.

70% of the 43 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. The multifamily share is published for Bemidji, MN, which contains 56601, rather than for 56601 alone.

At 2.8 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US ZIP areas. The permit rate is published for Bemidji, MN, which contains 56601, rather than for 56601 alone.

Units permitted
43
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
2.8
Bottom 47% nationally
Year over year
+105%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
69.8%
units in 5+ unit buildings

People moving in and out

Net migration
−0.2%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
37%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$58,776
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$56,530
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Hubbard County, MN 178 people · 10% of arrivals
  2. Cass County, MN 111 people · 6.5% of arrivals
  3. Clearwater County, MN 107 people · 6.3% of arrivals
  4. Hennepin County, MN 66 people · 3.9% of arrivals
  5. Polk County, MN 51 people · 3.0% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Hubbard County, MN 196 people · 11% of departures
  2. Cass County, MN 137 people · 7.6% of departures
  3. Hennepin County, MN 109 people · 6.1% of departures
  4. Clearwater County, MN 98 people · 5.5% of departures
  5. St. Louis County, MN 67 people · 3.7% 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 Beltrami County, MN. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

The Building Permits Survey is not published for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Bemidji, MN, the city containing this ZIP code.

Weather & climate

4 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 79°F and January a low of -4°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 26.5 inches, including 48.9 inches of snow.

-10°10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station CASS LAKE, 13.0 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND4.1"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year552024 calendar year
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals26.5"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals48.9"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals-4°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals79°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals41991-2020 Normals
Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year42024 calendar year
Median air quality index2024 calendar year362024 calendar year
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals61°F1991-2020 Normals

Air quality

Median air quality index
36
Good on a typical day
Worst tenth of days
55
90th percentile index
Days above 100
4
unhealthy for sensitive groups

A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

67 / 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 67% 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.

Winter weatherModerate
WildfireModerate
Inland floodingModerate
DroughtModerate
TornadoModerate
Heat waveModerate

Low or minimal exposure: cold wave, landslide, hail, strong wind, lightning, ice storm, 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. ZIP values are the land-area-weighted mean of the counties the ZIP Code Tabulation Area intersects. Expected annual loss is not allocated below county level. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

These are deaths, not offenses — they say nothing about burglary, theft or assault.

Homicide
2.4
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Firearm deaths, all intents
11.9
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Drug overdose
21.4
per 100,000 residents
Suicide
16.5
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.

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 56601 (Beltrami County) rather than 56601 itself. They are shown and not scored. How to read 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.

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. A ZIP area is not a jurisdiction, so no department reports for one. Bemidji carries the figure where its 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.
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

No airport meeting the AreaProfile major-airport definition lies within 100 miles; the nearest is 102 miles away.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year92.2%Top 35%of 32,6632024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle102 miBottom 1%of 3,127NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle0Bottom 1%of 3,127NASR current cycle
No internet access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year5.4%Top 35%of 32,6632024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Hector IntlFAR102 mi9,001 ft
Duluth IntlDLH132 mi10,591 ft
Minneapolis-St Paul Intl/Wold-ChamberlainMSP197 mi11,006 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
49
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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)
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
ClimateU.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System
Daily Air Quality Index by county
2024 calendar year
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.

56601 vs Bemidji

How this ZIP area compares with Bemidji as a whole. Both figures come from the same ACS release, so the comparison is like for like — a gap here is a real difference between the two places, not two surveys disagreeing.

56601
Bemidji
Median household income: 56601 is the more favorable of the two.
Median household income
$72,262
vs
$55,405
Per capita income: 56601 is the more favorable of the two.
Per capita income
$38,496
vs
$31,542
Population density
94/sq mi
vs
893/sq mi
Median home value
$260,900
vs
$198,300
Median gross rent: Bemidji is the more favorable of the two.
Median gross rent
$1,088
vs
$1,067
Homeownership rate
67.2%
vs
43.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher: 56601 is the more favorable of the two.
Bachelor's degree or higher
37.1%
vs
32.5%
Poverty rate: 56601 is the more favorable of the two.
Poverty rate
11.7%
vs
18.6%
Median age
35.9
vs
30.0

Some demographic statistics use Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, which approximate but do not exactly match USPS ZIP delivery geography. See the methodology for how AreaProfile maps between them.