Bemidji, MN — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

Beltrami County · Bemidji · population 15,733

First-time buyersSmall-town feel
View watchlist →
79
Hot
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Bemidji stands

At or near all-time high. home values up 5.7% in the last year.

Median home $216,534
1-year +5.7%
5-yr CAGR +6.9%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population +1.9%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$217k$108k$147k$186k$225k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
32/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
15/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
77/100
Strong remote-work fit
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 11.9
Buy

At a 11.9 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Bemidji on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 11.9 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
77 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
74 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
79 · w16%
Home 10-yr CAGR
71 · w10%
Long thesis

Bemidji has held up across the cycle: home values at $216,534 with +6.9% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Bemidji's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Bemidji

Bemidji is a city in Beltrami County, Minnesota, with an estimated population of 15,733. The population grew 1.9% annually from 2020 to 2024, a moderate gain. The median home value in Bemidji is $216,534 as of 2026-04, up 5.7% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +6.9% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Bemidji average $1,512 per month. The composite momentum score is 79 of 100 (Hot). Buyers should expect competition and limited negotiation room in this market.

Bull case

Affordable AND rising: median home $216,534 with positive recent direction — rare combination most of the country can’t offer.
Healthy 5-year run: +6.9% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
Quiet strength: +5.7% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.
Net positive migration: population up 1.9% per year — demand fundamentals are intact.
Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

Bear case

Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

Playbook

Buyer

Expect competition, escalation clauses, and pressure to waive inspections. Make your strongest offer up front — Hot markets reward decisiveness, not negotiation. If you can't write a clean offer, you may not be the best fit for this market right now.

Seller

Price slightly above recent comps and let multiple offers work. Days-on-market should be short. Don't accept the first offer in the first 48 hours unless it's significantly above ask.

Investor

Cap rates are still workable thanks to a reasonable price-to-rent ratio. Buy-and-hold math works if the trend continues; underwrite a moderate slowdown to be safe.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Beltrami County right now.

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Beltrami County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like Bemidji

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
22° / 4°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
82° / 62°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
198
~54% of year
Annual precip
28″ rain
45″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
High
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
Low

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Bemidji listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Bemidji area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
71%
Humid climate
Median household income
$84,300
Minnesota state median
Top industries (state-level)
Medical DevicesFinanceManufacturing

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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