Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,447, settled in 1881. A regional job hub with 3,187 jobs.
The median household income is $45K, and 21% of residents live below the poverty line. Overall it grades C−, 265th among Minnesota's 271 graded towns. It is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is safety: it reports more crime per resident than 77% of U.S. towns, including 18 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. 43% of working residents work locally in Park Rapids, where Minnesota’s towns sit at 9.7% and U.S. towns at 8%. Only 39 of Minnesota’s 572 towns score higher on civic life. Park Rapids has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Hubbard County Courthouse and Park Rapids Jail.
Where Park Rapids beats most towns.
3,709 counted in 2010 and 4,142 in 2020; an estimated 4,447 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 7.2% since 2020, after 11.7% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Park Rapids is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,313 in 1900, 4,142 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1895 and 2 maps from 1969 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Park Rapids, 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 Park Rapids.
Park Rapids draws workers from Todd Township and beyond, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has colder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns.
3,187 jobs are based in Park Rapids, 2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Only 2 of the 273 Minnesota towns we compare have a lower median household income than Park Rapids. The top destinations are Detroit Lakes (4%), Henrietta Township (3%) and Todd Township (3%). Half commute less than 5 miles.
| Park Rapids | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $45,000 | $91,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.9% | 14% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Park Rapids Public School District. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Park Rapids Senior High, with 420 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park Rapids Area Century ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 861 | A |
| Park Rapids Senior HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 420 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Park Rapids’ violent crime rate is 4.1 per 1,000 residents. Park Rapids reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 77% report less. Park Rapids’ property crime rate is 12.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Park Rapids | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.8 per 1,000 residents | 8.6 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 69% of U.S. communities. Since 1999, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Park Rapids.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average -1.7°, colder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 79.1°.
Park Rapids has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The January low in Park Rapids is -2°F. About 52 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Park Rapids | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | -2°F | 6°F | 22°F |
| July high | 79°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1.4 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Heartland County Park, at 26 acres.
| Park Rapids | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.9% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Heartland County Park | — | 26 |
| 2. Red Bridge Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Park Rapids home is worth about $323,000, up 3.5% in a year, 7% below the Minnesota typical home. 55% of Park Rapids households own their home.
| Park Rapids | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $825 a month | $1,199 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 3,905 U.S. towns with household incomes like Park Rapids’s, it is healthier than 94%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income. Within Minnesota it is less healthy than 78% of the 271 graded towns: Minnesota sets a high bar.
Park Rapids beats the Minnesota average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 13% of adults have diabetes in Park Rapids.
| Park Rapids | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 10% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 23% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Park Rapids | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.9% | 76.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.7% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Park Rapids; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Park Rapids residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
Where Park Rapids’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Park Rapids on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Park Rapids.
City in Minnesota, United States
Park Rapids is a city in and the county seat of Hubbard County, Minnesota, United States. It is near Itasca State Park, the source of the Mississippi River, as well as the beginning of the Heartland State Trail. The city was founded in 1890 near the Fish Hook River rapids and is along U.S. Highway 71 and Minnesota State Highway 34. The population was 4,142 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Park Rapids.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Rapids | #265 | C− | B− | C− | C | B− |
| Todd Township | — | — | C+ | — | C | B |
| Henrietta Township | — | — | C+ | — | C | B |
| Straight River Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Todd Township and Henrietta Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Todd Township and Henrietta Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Straight River Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Park Rapids with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Park Rapids grades C− overall, better than 19% of U.S. towns and #265 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades B− for health, C− for safety and C for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 4.5 years of the area's median household income ($71,995 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 B−.
5 notable people were born here, including Aaron Pike and Sharon Nelson.
