Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,290, settled in 1856. 3.1 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Minnesota town.
The best of Grand Marais’ subject grades are an A for walkability, an A− for health, and an A+ for civic life; the weakest is a C− for incomes. Grand Marais’ density of trails is 1.1 miles per square mile, where Minnesota’s towns sit at 0.5 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Only 10 of Minnesota’s 572 towns score higher on civic life. Grand Marais has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Naniboujou Club Lodge and Cook County Courthouse. Grand Marais has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Grand Marais beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Grand Marais is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 355 in 1910, 1,337 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1873 and 3 maps from 1954 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Grand Marais, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Grand Marais.
Grand Marais’ mean commuting time stands at 10 minutes, against 23 minutes in Minnesota’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. 51% of the town’s working residents work right in town. Employers in Grand Marais added 357 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 1,067. The top destinations are Lutsen Township (8%), Duluth (4%) and Tofte Township (4%).
| Grand Marais | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 10 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 51% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $71,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Two of the 7 schools are below, and why each made the list. Its public schools are run by the Cook County Public Schools. 4 public schools serve Grand Marais, with 588 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sawtooth Mountain ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 203 | B |
| Cook County Senior HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 177 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Since 1986, Grand Marais has seen 3 flood insurance claims paid out. Compared with 88% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage locally is lower. Just over two fifths of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from cold waves, followed by inland flooding at 34%.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Grand Marais: 13% of adults report frequent mental distress. CDC measures, 32 in all: Grand Marais beats Minnesota on 12 and trails on 4. Two figures for adults locally: 28% feel lonely, 28% sleep under 7 hours. Among 272 Minnesota towns, just 7 have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Grand Marais.
| Grand Marais | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Grand Marais | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.9% | 8.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.5% | 9.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.9% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Grand Marais is shrinking: down 3.9% since 2020, to 1,290 residents (2025 estimate). People 65 and older are 27% of residents (17% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 14% of residents (22% statewide). Among adults 25 and older locally, 42% hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Grand Marais | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 27% | 18% | 18% |
| Median age | 45.6 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 42% | 33% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 23% | 22% |
55% women, 45% men
About 81 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.8 points). Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women. Among residents 25 to 34, 81% are women (MN 49%).
| Grand Marais | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.8% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.4% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.3% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.5% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.1% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.9% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.5% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.4% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.2% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.2% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.7% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.7% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.6% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 26.6% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,300, single groups can be off by several points
Winters in Grand Marais are cold, snowy and summers cool. July afternoons reach 73°, January nights drop to 3° and about 51 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Values rose 4% in the 12 months to September 2026. In Grand Marais, 60% of households are owner-occupiers. Grand Marais’ median rent comes in at $900 a month.
| Grand Marais | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $900 a month | $1,196 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The biggest park or preserve is Superior National Forest, at 91 acres. Across 5 parks and preserves: 3.2 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Superior National Forest | 0.5 mi | 91 |
| 2. Gunflint Horse Arena & Dog Park | — | 2 |
| 3. Harbor Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Grand Marais. Close and well known come first.
15 mi State parkJudge C. R. Magney State Park
14 mi MountainEagle Mountain
40 mi Park & preserveBoundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
29 mi National MonumentGrand Portage National Monument86K visitors a year19 mi Ski areaLutsen Mountains76 runs · 787 ft vertical
35 mi Park & preserveWitch TreeJudge C. R. Magney State Park: Chris857, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Eagle Mountain: Skye Marthaler, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness: R27182818 at English Wikipedia (Original text: Reid Priedhorsky (R27182818)), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Grand Portage National Monument: Rufus Sarsaparilla on wikipédia en, Public domain · Witch Tree: Xerxes2004, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Grand Marais; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Grand Marais residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
Where Grand Marais’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in Grand Marais on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Minnesota, United States
Grand Marais ( mə-RAY) is a city and the county seat of Cook County, Minnesota, United States, of which it is the only municipality. It is on Lake Superior's North Shore. Grand Marais had a population of 1,337 at the 2020 census. Before it was settled by French Canadians and before Minnesota's statehood, it was inhabited by the Ojibwe. The Gunflint Trail, a National Scenic Byway, begins in Grand Marais and ends near the border with Ontario.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
3.1 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Minnesota town.
That is 5.8 years of the area's median household income ($72,638 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
