Pennington County, Minnesota
Population 13,791 · Thief River Falls, St. Hilaire, Goodridge
- Overall cost of living: −14.1% vs the US average, lower than 76% of US counties.
- Avg commute: 12 min, lower than 99% of US counties.
- January low: -3°F, lower than 99% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−14.1% | lower than 76% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of Minnesota outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $195,500 | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Median rent | $862 | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $179/mo | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $9,863/yr | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 1.26% | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6.875% | higher than 87% of US counties |
| State income tax | 7.05% | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $2,458 | higher than 75% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $77,325 | higher than 78% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 5.7% | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -6.2% | lower than 88% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 638 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈189 days | lower than 78% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 78°F | lower than 95% of US counties |
| January low | -3°F | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | ≈50 in | higher than 88% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Red Lake Falls, MN, 17 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Hot days (90°F+) | 6 days | lower than 88% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 182 days | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 7.4% of weeks | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈54.7°F | lower than 83% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 23.3 in | lower than 82% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $295/yr | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $266/yr | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0.04/yr | lower than 98% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $8/yr | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $11/yr | higher than 85% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 6.3 µg/m³ | lower than 81% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 198.5 mi | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈190.8 ft | lower than 87% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 94.8% | higher than 90% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 21% | lower than 56% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 5.5% | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 2 | lower than 49% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 14.6:1 | higher than 62% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 91.6% | higher than 64% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 8.94 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.13 | higher than 67% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.25 | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 2.9 | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 87/100k | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 2 | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | N/A | |
| Life expectancy | 78.9 yrs | higher than 84% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 4.4% | lower than 97% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 344/100k | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 58/100k | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 46.4/100k | higher than 88% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 68% | higher than 57% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 29 min | lower than 89% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 120 min | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 12 min | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 88.2% | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.4% | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 9.9% | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 323 min | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 38 per sq mi | higher than 69% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 1.1 per 1k | lower than 75% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 6.6 per 1k | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Population | 13,791 | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Median age | 39.6 | lower than 68% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -5.5 per 1k/yr | lower than 85% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 33.1% Dem | higher than 61% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 64.6% Rep | lower than 63% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 2.3% | higher than 87% of US counties |
| % White | 87.8% | higher than 67% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 4.9% | lower than 51% of US counties |
| % Black | 0.6% | lower than 74% of US counties |
| % Asian | 1.5% | higher than 76% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.4% | higher than 71% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.1% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| % Two or more races | 4.2% | higher than 67% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.5% | higher than 69% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 27 parks | lower than 62% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 13.1 | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 10.2 | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | Dark here | the lowest in the US |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.3% | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 10 | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 113 km | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 2 km | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Bars within 30 mi | 20 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 4 | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 10 km | higher than 51% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data