Demographics of Brainerd city, Minnesota

Brainerd city, Minnesota had 14,428 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +54 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Brainerd city, in four figures

14,428
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate. The survey’s 2020–⁠2024 figure is 14,468 ±25.; +0.4%
Change since July 2020: +54 people.; 35.1 ±2.2
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $56,111 ±$6,610
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. The Bureau publishes no births, deaths or migration for a place, so the change is the difference between one July estimate and the next.

Brainerd city, Minnesota's population grew 0.4% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Brainerd city, Minnesota's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

U.S. Census Bureau — Census Bureau population estimates — incorporated places and New England towns

About this chart

The figures

Brainerd city, Minnesota's population grew 0.4% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Brainerd city, Minnesota's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	14,374	100.0	100.0
2021	14,531	101.1	100.2
2022	14,531	101.1	100.7
2023	14,538	101.1	101.6
2024	14,412	100.3	102.5
2025	14,428	100.4	103.1

Population of Brainerd city, Minnesota on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change
2020	14,374	—
2021	14,531	+157
2022	14,531	0
2023	14,538	+7
2024	14,412	−126
2025	14,428	+16

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 35.1 ±2.2: for men 33.0 ±2.5 and for women 38.4 ±3.2. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Brainerd city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	Minnesota	United States
Under 5	1,041 ±214	7.2% ±1.5	5.8% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	2,155 ±332	14.9% ±2.3	17.0% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	1,598 ±301	11.0% ±2.1	8.8% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	4,267 ±415	29.5% ±2.9	26.6% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	2,845 ±372	19.7% ±2.6	24.5% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	2,562 ±327	17.7% ±2.3	17.3% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $56,111 ±$6,610, and income per person $31,316 ±$1,918, in 2024 dollars. The median is $89,062 ±$409 in Minnesota and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Brainerd city by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	Minnesota	United States
Under $25,000	1,290 ±282	20.3% ±4.3	11.7% ±0.2	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	1,456 ±300	22.9% ±4.6	14.9% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	1,268 ±296	20.0% ±4.6	15.6% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	1,028 ±236	16.2% ±3.6	13.2% ±0.1	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	844 ±207	13.3% ±3.2	19.6% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	228 ±92	3.6% ±1.4	11.2% ±0.2	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	234 ±99	3.7% ±1.6	13.8% ±0.1	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Brainerd city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	Minnesota	United States
All ages	2,095 ±528	15.0% ±3.8	9.3% ±0.2	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	334 to 1,002	21.3% ±9.9	10.3% ±0.3	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	1,005 ±268	13.2% ±3.4	9.1% ±0.2	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	422 ±138	13.0% ±3.9	8.7% ±0.2	11.0% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Brainerd city, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Brainerd city	Minnesota	United States
Housing units	6,760 ±281	2,545,030 ±1,535	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	93.9% ±2.0	90.7% ±0.2	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	6.1% ±2.6	9.3% ±0.2	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	56.5% ±4.1	72.2% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	43.5% ±5.0	27.8% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$192,500 ±$13,543	$329,300 ±$903	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$827 ±$57	$1,280 ±$7	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1971 ±4	1979 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Brainerd city by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	Minnesota	United States
Hispanic or Latino	446 ±151	3.1% ±1.0	6.4% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	13,236 ±261	91.5% ±1.8	75.9% ±<0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	23 to 203	0.2% to 1.4%	6.9% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0 to 35	0% to 0.2%	5.1% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	198 ±96	1.4% ±0.7	0.7% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 16	0% to 0.1%	< 0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	7 to 241	< 0.1% to 1.7%	0.5% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	337 ±125	2.3% ±0.9	4.5% ±0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Brainerd city by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	Minnesota	United States
Born in the state	11,890 ±407	82.2% ±2.8	67.1% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	2,393 ±388	16.5% ±2.7	23.4% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	0 to 78	0% to 0.5%	0.9% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	65 to 231	0.4% to 1.6%	8.7% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	19 to 115	0.1% to 0.8%	5.1% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	18 to 144	0.1% to 1.0%	3.6% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Brainerd city among the places of Minnesota

76th of 152 places of 5,000 or more by the survey’s 2020–2024 count. Every one is listed on the Minnesota page.

Places of Minnesota near Brainerd city in population, ACS 2020–2024
Place	ACS 2020–⁠2024
Hibbing city	16,057 ±19
Bemidji city	15,569 ±41
Monticello city	14,858 ±41
Alexandria city	14,735 ±62
Hutchinson city	14,680 ±26
Brainerd city	14,468 ±25
Robbinsdale city	14,234 ±54
North Mankato city	14,211 ±29
Fergus Falls city	14,181 ±28
New Ulm city	14,056 ±24
Marshall city	13,896 ±70

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — incorporated places and New England towns — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Data retrieved September 25, 2026