Nobles County, MN

County Profile

22,041 residents. Safety, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Nobles 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.

48out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 7% of 1,225 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
Opportunity1170th of 1,255 counties measured27
Schools894th of 973 counties measured15
Growth1126th of 1,226 counties measured24
Housing affordabilityTop 22% of 1,255 counties measured100
Climate1189th of 1,254 counties measured53
Physical resilienceTop 48% of 1,255 counties measured63
Access904th of 1,255 counties measured69
Economic stabilityTop 48% of 1,255 counties measured63
The quick read

Employment conditions sit below most comparable published profiles: unemployment is 5.0% and the Opportunity signal places Nobles County in the bottom 7%.

In the public schools here, 30% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 13.9 students for every teacher.

Residential permitting has slowed: 19 units authorized over the past twelve months, 81% below the prior year.

At a glance

Population
22,041
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$66,101
Top 47% nationally
Density
31/sq mi
715.1 sq mi of land
Median age
35.7
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Nobles County
Minnesota
Metro area
Worthington, MN
Nearest major airport
FSD
49 mi · Joe Foss Fld
Median home value
$197,200
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 5.0% is lower than 22% of the 1,255 measured US locations.

Employment fell 2.9% over the past year, to 10,356 employed residents.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$4,139$66,101Top 47%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,288$31,342Bottom 32%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate14.0%Top 45%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute20.0 minBottom 15%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher17.9%Bottom 26%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Employment10,356Bottom 5%of 1,255June 2026
Employment change (3 years)-1.5%Bottom 27%of 1,255June 2026
Employment change (year over year)-2.9%Bottom 9%of 1,255June 2026
Labor force10,896Bottom 5%of 1,255June 2026
Labor force participation63.1%Top 27%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)0.5%Top 27%of 1,255June 2026
Unemployment rate5.0%Top 22%of 1,255June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032025/102026/065.01.4
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 5.0% in June 2026. 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
202120222023202466k57k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $66,101 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.

30% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 36% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 13.9 students for every full-time teacher, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
15
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
13.9
across all schools here
Math proficiency
30.1%
Bottom 1% in Minnesota
Reading proficiency
36.3%
Bottom 3% in Minnesota
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
WORTHINGTON SENIOR HIGHWORTHINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT1,11817.7
Intermediate SchoolWORTHINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT70514.1
PRAIRIE ELEMENTARYWORTHINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT69011.927%25%
WORTHINGTON MIDDLEWORTHINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT66415.115%37%
Round Lake-Brewster ElementaryROUND LAKE-BREWSTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS37714.541%34%
ADRIAN ELEMENTARYADRIAN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT29513.453%57%
ADRIAN SECONDARYADRIAN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT15512.9
ADRIAN MIDDLEADRIAN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT13917.425%45%
Round Lake-Brewster Middle SchoolROUND LAKE-BREWSTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS11811.850%50%
Learning CenterWORTHINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT826.8
ELLSWORTH ELEMENTARYELLSWORTH PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT7610.9
ELLSWORTH SECONDARYELLSWORTH PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT6012.0

63.3% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with rather than how the schools perform, which is why AreaProfile shows it and does not score it.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data. Schools are placed by ZIP code, so this is which schools are in this place rather than which one a particular address is zoned for — district boundaries do not follow municipal ones, and enrollment zones change. Fully virtual schools are excluded: they enroll students from across the state while reporting one administrative address, and counting them here would describe a school population this place does not have. The assessment covers grades 3 through 8, so a high school shows no proficiency figure — a dash in those columns means the test was not given at that school, not that it performed badly. Proficiency is measured against Minnesota’s own standard, so it compares cleanly within the state and only broadly against other states; AreaProfile therefore ranks it within state. The directory is current, while the proficiency figures are from the last school year with national coverage before the pandemic interrupted testing.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $896 takes 16% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 3.0 times median household income here, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.

Rent as a share of income
16.3%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.0×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$896
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$197,200
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price to income2.98Top 49%of 3,2192024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate74.2%Bottom 48%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±418,396Bottom 37%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$82$896Top 46%of 3,2162024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$11,134$197,200Top 45%of 3,2192024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income16.3%Bottom 40%of 3,2162024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate8.6%Bottom 22%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
24/ 100
Ranks 1126 of 1,226 published city profiles
Permitting is increasing — 2 consecutive years, measured from 2022 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, reaching 21,969 in 2024.

New construction is predominantly single-family: only 0% of permitted units are in buildings of five or more homes.

At 0.9 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US locations.

Units permitted
19
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
0.9
Bottom 13% nationally
Year over year
−81%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
0.0%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
2020202120222023202422k22k
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.
Housing units permitted per year
202220232024202510111
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was higher than 2022 (+573%).

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 82°F and January a low of 5°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 30.5 inches, including 45.2 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 WORTHINGTON 2 NNE, 9.4 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND5.2"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation30.5"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall45.2"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low5°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high82°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months51991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing57°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.

Physical risk

63 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are tornado, cold wave and hail.

HailElevated
Winter weatherModerate
Cold waveModerate
TornadoHigh
Ice stormModerate
Strong windHigh
Heat waveModerate

Low or minimal exposure: drought, inland flooding, lightning, landslide, earthquake, wildfire.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA National Risk Index county record. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

These are deaths, not offences. AreaProfile does not publish reported crime, and this is not a substitute for it — it says nothing about burglary, theft or assault.

Nobles 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 10.1 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, because nationally most firearm deaths are suicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at 0.0 per 100,000 residents in Nobles County.

Homicide
0.0
per 100,000 residents
Firearm deaths, all intents
10.1
per 100,000 residents · under 10 deaths
Drug overdose
0.0
per 100,000 residents
Suicide
15.3
per 100,000 residents · under 10 deaths

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides. The two columns overlap and should not be added.

Age-adjusted rates from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC for Nobles County as a whole — these rates are not published below county level. A county can hold both a dense city centre and a suburb whose experience of it is nothing alike, so this describes the county around Nobles County rather than Nobles County itself. That is why AreaProfile shows these figures and does not put them in the Area Score. Where fewer than ten deaths were recorded the count is suppressed at source, and a rate built on single figures moves sharply between releases. What this measure has that reported crime does not: a death certificate is filed whether or not the local police agency submitted a return that year, so the figures stay comparable between places and over time.

What this profile does not cover

Three things people look for are missing from every AreaProfile page, and each is missing for a reason rather than by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Reported crime
The FBI’s Crime Data Explorer is the only source for reported offences with national coverage and a published method, and it requires an API key AreaProfile does not hold. Arrest counts, news volume and commercial “safety scores” are not substituted in the meantime. What is published above under Safety is a different measurement — deaths rather than offences, from death certificates rather than police returns — and it covers no property crime at all.
Taxes
No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, transparent methodology and update cadence. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Full cost of living
No public source publishes one with national coverage and a documented method. Housing affordability above is computed from published rent, price and income, and excludes transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes — commuting cost in particular tends to offset suburban housing savings.

Access

2 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 49 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Joe Foss FldFSD49 mi9,000 ft
Sioux Gateway/Brig General Bud Day FldSUX94 mi9,002 ft
Minneapolis-St Paul Intl/Wold-ChamberlainMSP151 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
48
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)
safetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
April, 2025 to March, 2026Quarterly, with a rolling twelve-month window alongside complete calendar years
schoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2019-20 school year; 2024-25 school yearDirectory annually; assessment results as EDFacts releases them

Profile recalculated August 30, 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 browse every source.

Cities in Nobles County, MN