CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

47.09° N · 94.59° W · GEOID 2767792

Walker

Cass County, Minnesota · part of the Brainerd, MN metro

Limited data population under 5,000

MinnesotaWalker, MNWalkerWalker

The short answer

Walker is home to 848 people. Median household income is $34,375 a year and median rent is $545 a month, 19.0% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $261,800, about 7.6x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$545
60% below the median place
Median household income
$34,375
57% below the median place
Median home value
$261,800
18% below the median place
Unemployment
6.6%
34% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Walker

  • Median rent is $545 a month, lower than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 151 Minnesota places.
  • Household income has grown -4.2% a year across the last five survey releases, slower than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 151 Minnesota places.
  • Households average 1.78 people, smaller than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 151 Minnesota places.
  • The median household earns $34,375 a year, less than in 98% of places its size. It is the lowest of 151 Minnesota places.
  • The median resident is 58.9 years old, older than in 97% of places its size. It is the highest of 151 Minnesota places.
01

Moving to Walker

Cass County gains about 2.9 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in1,801
Moved out1,724
Net+77

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Minnesota, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within MinnesotaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$95K
Leavers$73K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Cass County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
12.7% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.1% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Cass County report $95,200 a year in income on average; those leaving, $72,900, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$21,800 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $545 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,492 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $261,800.
Getting to work
21 minutes each way on average; 12.3% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Inverness, FL matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
12.7%
121% above the median place
Moved from another state1
1.1%
46% below the median place
Income of households moving in7
$95,247
35% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureWalkerAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year112.7%121% above
Moved from another state1County figure1.1%46% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure2.9above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$95,24735% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$72,8564% above
02

What it costs to live here

Median gross rent is $545, 60% below the median place.

Walker19.0%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$21,800
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
19.0%
7% below the median place
Home price to income
7.6x
101% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
19%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$27,500
a year, prices not adjusted
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Walker, $545 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Walker.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Walker? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
30.2%
327% above the median place
Renters paying 30%+1
65.2%
29% above the median place
Homeownership1
46.5%
30% below the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureWalkerAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$54560% below
Rent to income119.0%7% below
Property tax rate10.9%2% below
Home price to income17.6x101% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure$1,01437% below
HUD area median income3County figure$88,30018% below
Property tax paid (median)1$2,33329% below
Median home value1$261,80018% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure7.8%144% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure59.5%15% above
Homeownership146.5%30% below
Renters paying 30%+165.2%29% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,49220% below
Vacant homes130.2%327% above
Median year built119830% above
03

Work and pay

Median household income is $34,375, 57% below the median place.

Median household income1
$34,375
57% below the median place
Poverty rate1
21.5%
100% above the median place
Mean commute1
21 min
16% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureWalkerAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$34,37557% below
Income per person1$35,17012% below
Unemployment1County figure6.6%34% above
Average annual pay5County figure$46,16030% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure5.1%38% above
Jobs5County figure10,59593% below
Poverty rate121.5%100% above
Mean commute121 min16% below
Works from home1County figure12.3%2% below
Commutes by transit1County figure0.4%54% below
04

Who lives here

Household size is 1.8, 29% below the median place.

Household size1
1.8
29% below the median place
Median age1
58.9
51% above the median place
Homes with broadband1
85.9%
7% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

No health insurance10.5% +64%
High school or higher90.4% −2%
Bachelor's or higher30.0% −6%
All 9 people measures
MeasureWalkerAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population18486646th largest
Population change since 20206-0.1%below (median 1.1%)
Median age158.951% above
Bachelor's or higher130.0%6% below
High school or higher190.4%2% below
Household size11.829% below
Born abroad1County figure1.4%84% below
No health insurance110.5%64% above
Homes with broadband185.9%7% below
05

Life in Walker

2 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

  • Chase Hotel listed 1980
  • Conservation Building listed 2003

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars21.9 +5%
Shops44.2 +46%
Arts, recreation and fitness5.5 +34%
Doctors' offices and clinics9.4 −53%
Child care centers1.9 −17%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public school students10
699
86% below the median place
Public schools10
3
67% below the median place
Students per teacher10
11.7
24% below the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureWalkerAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10367% below
Public school students1069986% below
Students per teacher1011.724% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure21.95% above
Shops per 10k8County figure44.246% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure5.534% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure9.453% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.917% below
National Register listings9285% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

January average low is 1°F, 96% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Walker. Larger places are fetched first.

January average low11
1°F
96% below the median place
Average temperature11
41°F
26% below the median place
Median air quality index13
28
35% below the median place
All 10 weather and risk measures
MeasureWalkerAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure79°F9% below
January average low11County figure1°F96% below
Average temperature11County figure41°F26% below
Annual precipitation11County figure27.2 in38% below
Natural hazard risk12County figure53.542% below
Tornado risk12County figure42.947% below
Wildfire risk12County figure63.23% above
Heat wave risk12County figure51.343% below
Median air quality index13County figure2835% below
Good air days13County figure82.7%21% above
08

Walker in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 19% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 19% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$545/mo (2024)$660/mo$540 to $800/mo+3.2%
Median household income$34,375 (2024)$41,500$35,000 to $49,000+3.2%
Median home value$261,800 (2024)$385,000$279,000 to $530,000+6.6%
Population976 (2025)980940 to 1,020+0.1%

The median home would be worth 9.3 years of the median income in 2030, against 7.6 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Walker

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Inverness, FL$975$43,523Compare
Hernando, FL$964$43,076Compare
St. Francis, WI$1,004$57,368Compare
White Oak, PA$1,000$59,452Compare
White Oak, PASt. Francis, WIHernando, FLInverness, FLWalker, MNWalkerInvernessHernandoSt. FrancisWhite OakWalkerInvernessHernandoSt. FrancisWhite Oak

Common questions

Is Walker a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Median rent is $545 a month, lower than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 151 Minnesota places. Household income has grown -4.2% a year across the last five survey releases, slower than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 151 Minnesota places. On cost, space and class size it scores 11 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Walker expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 19.0% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $261,800.

What salary do you need to live in Walker?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $21,800 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Walker?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Inverness, FL, Hernando, FL, St. Francis, WI and White Oak, PA.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  3. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  13. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Walker with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Walker itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/walker-minnesota

Citytistics. “Walker, Minnesota.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/walker-minnesota/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.