Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 541, settled in 1908.
Ranier has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Finstad's Auto Marine Shop and Little American Mine. Ranier has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 190 in 1910, a low of 145 in 2010, 569 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2009 and 4 maps from 1919 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ranier, 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 Ranier.
Federal aid has come to Ranier households in 3 declared disasters; the latest was in 2022. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 80% come from inland flooding and 17% from cold waves. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 90% of U.S. communities.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
5.5% of Ranier residents live below the poverty line, where Minnesota’s towns sit at 7% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. In Ranier, 2.1% of working residents work locally. For half of commuters, work is under 3 miles away. The top destinations are International Falls (62%), Littlefork (3%) and Hibbing (3%).
| Ranier | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 11 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.1% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.5% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Among 274 Minnesota towns, just 9 have a higher age of the median resident than Ranier. Adults 18 to 34 are 12% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 25% of residents (17% statewide). This Minnesota town has lost 5.1% of its people since 2020, down to 541 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 31%, against 39% across Minnesota.
| Ranier | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 50.8 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 31% | 33% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±7.6 points. Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Ranier | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.4% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.7% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.5% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.4% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 17.5% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.9% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 16.7% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.9% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.9% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.9% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.3% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 500, single groups can be off by several points
Only 9 of the 275 Minnesota towns we compare have a lower July high than Ranier. July afternoons reach 78°, January nights drop to -5° and about 73 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Ranier: 30% of adults sleep under 7 hours. Against the Minnesota average, Ranier comes out ahead on 3 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 11. No town among the 272 in Minnesota we compare has a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Ranier. 14% of adults here have diabetes; 29% feel lonely.
| Ranier | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 31% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 10% | 12% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Ranier | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.4% | 76.1% |
| More adults getting a yearly checkup | 78.5% | 74.8% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.3% | 5.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Ranier | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.6% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ranier City Park | — | 3 |
| 2. City Beach | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Ranier; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Ranier residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
Where Ranier’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Minnesota, United States
Ranier rə-NEER) is a city in Koochiching County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 569 at the 2020 census. Ranier is located east of the city of International Falls, along State Highway 11 (MN 11). Fort Frances, Ontario is located directly across the river. Incorporated in 1908, the small village of Ranier began as a lively pioneer town filled with people eager to make their mark in the northland. Businesses sprang up all over Ranier, including hotels, grocers, saloons, and brothels. During prohibition, this little boom town gained a gnarly reputation. Illegal booze was the name of the game and everyone in Ranier was playing. Being the port of entry into Canada and being situated…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ranier has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.