Detroit Lakes, Minnesota
2026 Edition · 10 cards · data as of Oct 30, 2026
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Population
Steady. Within 1% of 2020, every year since.
10,019
people, the 103rd-largest of Minnesota's cities and towns.
Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Minnesota's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates
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The workday
7 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.
72.3%
of 9,638 jobs located in Detroit Lakes are filled by in-commuters.
Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES
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Rent
Median rent is up 73% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.
$954
a month. Minnesota's median is $1,280.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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The seam
Cross one tract line and median rent jumps $804.
A $804 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Becker County.
- $896 Tract 4508
- $1,700 Tract 4507
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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Room to build
Local wages can carry more rent than the median charged today.
$990–$1,485
is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.
- $954 median
Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year
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Building
71% of the housing here was built before 2000.
- 130 homes permitted, 2022–2025
- 7% of those were in multifamily buildings
- 71% of all homes were built before 2000
Census Building Permits Survey, 2022–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year
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Units needed
Closing the gap would add 0.4–1.9% to the 5,137 homes here.
18–96
is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.
Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac
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Home value
A median home costs 19% less than Minnesota's.
$265,800
median home value in Detroit Lakes.
- $265,800 Detroit Lakes
- $329,300 Minnesota
- $332,700 U.S.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year