Douglas County, MN

County Profile

39,575 residents. Safety, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Douglas County, MN.

Several figures AreaProfile publishes are measured by county and nowhere finer — death rates by intent among them. On this page those describe the geography they are printed on, which is not true of the city and ZIP pages that inherit them.

68out of 100
Area Score
Top 20% of 1,453 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 13 sources
Opportunity810th of 1,463 counties measured53
SchoolsTop 14% of 1,377 counties measured78
GrowthTop 33% of 1,453 counties measured60
Housing affordabilityTop 42% of 1,462 counties measured75
Climate1,418th of 1,463 counties measured50
Physical resilienceTop 1% of 1,463 counties measured97
Access1,401st of 1,463 counties measured37
Economic stabilityTop 9% of 1,463 counties measured89
The quick read

Unemployment is 3.8% and median household income $79,043, putting employment conditions in the middle range of counties measured.

Public schools test above most of the state: 63% of students met the mathematics standard, placing the area in the top 14% of published profiles for schools.

Residential permitting has slowed: 316 units authorized over the past twelve months, 22% 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
39,575
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$79,043
Top 19% nationally
Density
62/sq mi
636.9 sq mi of land
Median age
44.5
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Douglas County
Minnesota
Micro area
Nearest major airport
FAR
94 mi · Hector Intl
Median home value
$321,400
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 3.8%, lower than in 61% of the 1,467 measured US counties.

Employment fell 2.6% over the past year, to 21,036 employed residents.

30% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 76% of measured US counties.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsfiling years 2022–2023$69,49272nd percentileof 1,417filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftfiling years 2022–2023$66,50671st percentileof 1,417filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$3,1672024 ACS 5-Year$79,043Top 19%of 3,2212024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,6752024 ACS 5-Year$44,466Top 14%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Per-capita personal income2023$66,559Top 23%of 1,3892023
Poverty rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year8.4%Top 16%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±0.8 min2024 ACS 5-Year21.1 minTop 20%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year29.7%Top 24%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year78.9%60th percentileof 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202621,036Bottom 33%of 1,467July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026−1.6%Bottom 30%of 1,467July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026−2.6%Bottom 13%of 1,467July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202621,87833rd percentileof 1,467July 2026
Labor force participation ±1.0%2024 ACS 5-Year84.6%Top 8%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±0.1%2024 ACS 5-Year0.3%61st percentileof 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026+0.5%Bottom 17%of 1,467July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20263.8%Top 39%of 1,467July 2026
Worked from home ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year11.5%73rd percentileof 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/075.41.6
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 3.8% 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.

Median household income, successive ACS releases

202120222023202479k69k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $79,043 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.

63% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 65% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 15.1 students for every full-time teacher across 18 public schools, more than in most measured places.

Public schools
20
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
15.1
across 18 of them
Math proficiency
62.7%
Top 10% in Minnesota
Reading proficiency
64.9%
Top 17% in Minnesota
The 12 largest of 20 public schools, by enrollment.
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%
Osakis ElementaryOSAKIS PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT47214.864%60%
Voyager ElementaryAlexandria Public School District44613.164%56%
Osakis SecondaryOSAKIS PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT41516.061%65%
Woodland Elementary SchoolAlexandria Public School District41011.473%65%
Evansville ElementaryBRANDON-EVANSVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS16320.477%72%
Brandon-Evansville High SchoolBRANDON-EVANSVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS15815.870%70%
Kalon Prep Academy · charterKalon Prep Academy14112.8——
West Central Area S. El.WEST CENTRAL AREA13811.565%55%
Miltona ElementaryAlexandria Public School District12615.872%67%

30.8% 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 $2,674 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.83% 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 $927 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 50% of the median household income here of $79,043.

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 $927 a month.

A median home at $321,400 costs 3.4 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $93,442, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.

Rent as a share of income
26.7%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.4×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$991
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$927
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$321,400
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Douglas County’s median household income of $79,043, 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%57th percentileof 1,4312026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Minnesota’s figure2026 Q2+42.5%37th percentileof 1,4312026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Minnesota’s figure2026 Q2+88.5%39th percentileof 1,4312026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year3.4Bottom 19%of 3,2172024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year76.5%61st percentileof 3,2212024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±522024 ACS 5-Year22,33268th percentileof 3,2212024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$772Top 20%of 1,423FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,378Top 36%of 1,423FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$991Top 25%of 1,423FY2026
Median gross rent ±$602024 ACS 5-Year$927Bottom 40%of 3,2152024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$10,2412024 ACS 5-Year$321,40084th percentileof 3,2192024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$632024 ACS 5-Year$2,67480th percentileof 3,1722024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$3,0812024 ACS 5-Year$93,442Top 20%of 3,2182024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.03%2024 ACS 5-Year0.83%53rd percentileof 3,1262024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year26.7%Top 39%of 3,2162024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±2912024 ACS 5-Year3,94792nd percentileof 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year17.7%91st percentileof 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year3.9%7th percentileof 3,2212024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±3212024 ACS 5-Year4,81379th percentileof 3,2222024 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

60/ 100
Top 33% of 1,453 published county 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 2% since 2020, reaching 39,933 in 2024.

Federal tax returns show Douglas County 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 8.0 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US counties.

Units permitted
316
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
8.0
Top 12% nationally
Year over year
−22%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
43.0%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

2020202120222023202440k39k
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. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

Housing units permitted per year

2022202320242025335160
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was higher than 2022 (+70%).

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, 5.8 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

97 / 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 99% of measured US counties.

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). These are FEMA’s own figures for this county rather than a value derived from surrounding geographies. 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.

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.

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 Douglas County as a whole. 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. 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.
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 94 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year88.8%Top 36%of 3,2212024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle94 miBottom 5%of 1,463NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle1Bottom 3%of 1,463NASR current cycle
No internet access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year8.5%Top 35%of 3,2212024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Hector IntlFAR94 mi9,001 ft
Minneapolis-St Paul Intl/Wold-ChamberlainMSP131 mi11,006 ft
Duluth IntlDLH168 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
68
Your Score
—

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

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
IncomeU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
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.

Cities in Douglas County, MN

ZIP areas

Only ZIP areas whose income or home value differ from their city’s by at least ten percent get a profile of their own, so this is a selection rather than every ZIP code in the county.