The 10 Poorest Cities In Minnesota For 2023


The poorest places in Minnesota are Bemidji and Virginia for 2023 based on Saturday Night Science.

Like all states, Minnesota has certain places that are going on hard times. These Minnesota places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.

Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in Minnesota.

To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 149 cities in Minnesota with more than 5,000 people.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


Here are the ten poorest places in Minnesota for 2023:

  1. Bemidji
  2. Virginia
  3. Waite Park
  4. Brainerd
  5. Winona
  6. Little Falls
  7. St. Cloud
  8. Crookston
  9. Morris
  10. Mankato

What’s the poorest city in Minnesota? According to the facts, Bemidji is the poorest place in Minnesota for 2023.

This isn’t a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Instead, it’s just a look at the facts.

For more Minnesota reading, check out:


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The 10 Poorest Cities In Minnesota For 2023

1. Bemidji

Bemidji, MN

Source: Wikipedia User Crash over ride at English Wikipedia | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 15,114
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $42,218 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 24.8% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 3,755
More on Bemidji: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Bemidji, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Minnesota thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.

The city of 15,114 people averages the 2nd lowest median household income in Minnesota and the 2nd highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.

2. Virginia

Virginia, MN

Source: Wikipedia User Bjoertvedt | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 8,444
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Income: $44,014 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 25.0% (highest)
People In Poverty: 2,107
More on Virginia: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

The second poorest city in Minnesota is Virginia.

The city ranks as having the highest incidence of poverty and 4th lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 3rd highest in the North Star State.

3. Waite Park

Waite Park, MN

Source: Flickr User saltedwound | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 8,245
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 1)
Median Income: $47,018 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 22.9% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 1,889
More on Waite Park: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Placing as the third poorest city, Waite Park’s median income ranks as the 6th lowest.

And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 22.917681441792496% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.

But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the North Star State.

4. Brainerd

Brainerd, MN

Source: Wikipedia User Elkman | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 14,053
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 1)
Median Income: $41,671 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 18.0% (9th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,524
More on Brainerd: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Brainerd ranks as the fourth poorest place in Minnesota.

The town ranks as having the lowest median household income and the 9th highest incidence of poverty in the state.

That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.

5. Winona

Winona, MN

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 26,199
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Income: $48,662 (7th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 19.2% (8th highest)
People In Poverty: 5,029
More on Winona: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

The fifth poorest city in Minnesota is Winona.

The city ranks as having the 7th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 8th highest in Minnesota.

Still not the best news for Winona.

6. Little Falls

Little Falls, MN

Source: Wikipedia User Dustin Simmonds at English Wikipedia | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 9,049
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
Median Income: $43,278 (3rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 16.3% (18th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,471
More on Little Falls: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Little Falls ranks as the sixth poorest place in the North Star State.

It ranks as having the 18th highest incidence of poverty and the 6th highest unemployment rate.

7. St. Cloud

St. Cloud, MN

Source: Wikipedia User Elkman | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 68,430
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 1)
Median Income: $54,427 (2lowest)
Poverty Rate: 22.0% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 15,024
More on St. Cloud: Data | Crime

St. Cloud places as the seventh poorest city in Minnesota.

The city of over 68,430 ranks as having the 5th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.

8. Crookston

Crookston, MN

Source: Flickr User uberculture | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 7,509
Rank Last Year: 17 (Up 9)
Median Income: $49,128 (8th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 15.6% (19th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,172
More on Crookston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Crookston ranks as the eighth poorest city in Minnesota.

The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as the 25th highest in the state.

9. Morris

Morris, MN

Source: Wikipedia User Wavehunter | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 5,190
Rank Last Year: 24 (Up 15)
Median Income: $54,984 (22nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 19.9% (7th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,031
More on Morris: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Morris couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Minnesota; it ranks number 9.

While the median income is the 22nd lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Morris ranks as having the 7th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Minnesota.

10. Mankato

Mankato, MN

Source: Wikipedia User Bobak Ha’Eri | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 43,938
Rank Last Year: 10 (No Change)
Median Income: $56,274 (26th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 22.3% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 9,784
More on Mankato: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Minnesota is Mankato.

The city of 43,938 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the North Star State.

Methodology: How We Determined The Poorest Places In Minnesota for 2023

The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.

However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “poorest places”. So we used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2017-2021 American Community Survey:

  • Poverty Level
  • Median Household Income

After we collected the data for all 149 places with more than 5,000 people in Minnesota, we ranked each place from 1 to 149 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.

We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Poor Score” with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Bemidji, crowned the “Poorest Place In Minnesota For 2023”.

This report has been updated for 2023, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in Minnesota.

Summary: The Poorest Cities In Minnesota For 2023

Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in Minnesota, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Minnesota.

When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.

If you’re curious enough, here are the richest cities in Minnesota, according to data:

    Richest: Victoria
    2nd Richest: Rogers
    3rd Richest: North Oaks

For more Minnesota reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In Minnesota

Rank City Population Poverty Rate Median Income People In Poverty
1 Bemidji 15,114 24.8% $42,218 3,755
2 Virginia 8,444 25.0% $44,014 2,107
3 Waite Park 8,245 22.9% $47,018 1,889
4 Brainerd 14,053 18.0% $41,671 2,524
5 Winona 26,199 19.2% $48,662 5,029
6 Little Falls 9,049 16.3% $43,278 1,471
7 St. Cloud 68,430 22.0% $54,427 15,024
8 Crookston 7,509 15.6% $49,128 1,172
9 Morris 5,190 19.9% $54,984 1,031
10 Mankato 43,938 22.3% $56,274 9,784
11 Marshall 13,728 16.8% $53,138 2,306
12 Willmar 20,823 16.5% $53,863 3,434
13 Faribault 24,310 17.4% $55,229 4,228
14 Worthington 13,782 15.0% $52,153 2,066
15 Montevideo 5,360 15.1% $53,410 807
16 International Falls 5,859 13.5% $51,119 790
17 Fairmont 10,465 14.4% $52,975 1,511
18 Albert Lea 18,433 13.2% $51,047 2,438
19 Grand Rapids 11,056 14.1% $51,498 1,557
20 Austin 26,030 15.6% $54,320 4,058
21 Hibbing 16,224 12.2% $49,710 1,975
22 Cloquet 12,563 15.5% $55,007 1,951
23 Duluth 86,711 17.5% $58,014 15,144
24 Fergus Falls 13,969 11.0% $45,327 1,532
25 Alexandria 14,030 12.4% $54,193 1,737
26 St. Peter 11,699 16.4% $59,692 1,921
27 Moorhead 44,129 17.9% $62,940 7,883
28 St. Paul 309,751 17.6% $63,483 54,399
29 Thief River Falls 8,791 12.5% $55,998 1,103
30 Detroit Lakes 9,717 12.4% $57,229 1,208
31 St. Joseph 6,919 21.9% $70,292 1,516
32 Redwood Falls 5,099 12.3% $57,565 629
33 West St. Paul 20,476 12.1% $57,434 2,483
34 Minneapolis 425,091 17.0% $70,099 72,378
35 Litchfield 6,537 8.3% $49,457 543
36 Hopkins 18,861 11.8% $60,824 2,232
37 Isanti 6,667 14.8% $70,833 989
38 Brooklyn Center 33,298 12.2% $64,618 4,046
39 Red Wing 16,596 11.5% $61,040 1,911
40 Waseca 9,237 9.0% $57,022 832
41 East Grand Forks 9,140 12.1% $65,898 1,103
42 Hutchinson 14,504 9.2% $58,795 1,337
43 Little Canada 10,704 10.4% $61,959 1,113
44 Fridley 29,422 11.0% $68,910 3,235
45 Columbia Heights 21,612 11.1% $69,460 2,395
46 Cambridge 9,454 8.4% $57,969 791
47 Spring Lake Park 6,920 12.1% $72,083 836
48 Baxter 8,544 9.5% $64,635 809
49 New Ulm 14,052 8.7% $60,723 1,220
50 Robbinsdale 14,522 10.2% $69,239 1,484
51 New Hope 21,683 9.0% $64,929 1,943
52 South St. Paul 20,637 10.5% $71,308 2,163
53 Sauk Rapids 13,830 7.9% $59,960 1,092
54 Zimmerman 6,108 11.8% $75,584 718
55 North St. Paul 12,395 9.4% $71,528 1,170
56 Anoka 17,749 8.3% $66,160 1,481
57 Owatonna 26,366 8.8% $71,450 2,319
58 New Brighton 23,293 10.6% $77,031 2,477
59 Monticello 14,235 9.4% $73,651 1,331
60 Mounds View 13,187 10.9% $78,208 1,438
61 Maplewood 41,673 10.3% $77,316 4,289
62 Glencoe 5,708 5.6% $57,410 320
63 Lake City 5,120 7.0% $65,652 358
64 North Mankato 14,356 8.2% $73,302 1,177
65 Brooklyn Park 85,247 8.7% $76,620 7,404
66 Northfield 20,374 8.3% $73,877 1,690
67 Jordan 6,560 14.2% $101,285 928
68 Richfield 36,899 7.3% $74,301 2,677
69 Rochester 119,732 8.7% $79,159 10,388
70 Falcon Heights 5,388 7.6% $77,685 409
71 La Crescent 5,333 4.7% $61,651 249
72 Buffalo 16,121 6.7% $74,036 1,085
73 Bloomington 89,436 8.1% $80,582 7,271
74 Sartell 19,096 6.0% $72,575 1,137
75 Crystal 23,143 6.5% $77,117 1,514
76 Burnsville 63,926 6.9% $79,059 4,407
77 Mound 9,365 7.4% $80,583 689
78 North Branch 10,742 9.1% $91,250 980
79 White Bear Lake 24,520 5.9% $75,963 1,438
80 Roseville 36,119 7.0% $82,040 2,542
81 Oakdale 28,019 6.2% $78,586 1,723
82 Coon Rapids 63,269 6.2% $79,110 3,940
83 Stewartville 6,620 6.6% $82,984 439
84 St. Francis 8,099 7.5% $90,015 605
85 Vadnais Heights 12,931 6.5% $84,269 845
86 St. Louis Park 49,539 6.5% $87,639 3,200
87 Hastings 22,063 5.5% $81,802 1,215
88 Hermantown 10,128 4.5% $79,844 456
89 Inver Grove Heights 35,539 5.7% $89,141 2,025
90 Chisago City 5,499 4.7% $85,570 258
91 Blaine 68,999 5.6% $90,484 3,840
92 Champlin 23,877 6.8% $104,200 1,629
93 Circle Pines 5,001 4.8% $88,504 240
94 Arden Hills 9,868 6.9% $109,707 681
95 Forest Lake 20,366 4.6% $87,753 940
96 Eagan 68,205 5.8% $98,503 3,942
97 Golden Valley 22,247 6.3% $104,526 1,412
98 St. Paul Park 5,490 4.3% $85,061 235
99 Elk River 25,467 3.9% $83,875 1,005
100 Apple Valley 55,237 4.7% $91,936 2,597
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

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