What it's like to live in Fergus Falls
Fergus Falls is a small city in Minnesota with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, crime rates well below the national average, and commutes that run shorter than most cities. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Fergus Falls deals with household incomes below the national average, brutally cold winters, snowy winters, and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low crime rates
- Short commutes
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Brutally cold winters
- Snowy winters — 50" per year
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Fergus Falls compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Fergus Falls
Based on Fergus Falls's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,822
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $36,440 a year
- 44% of Fergus Falls renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$38,800
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $19,400
- Homes cost 3.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 36% below US
$911/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $911 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $194,000. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $194,000 · 44% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.6% county unemployment
Unemployment in Otter Tail County is 4.6%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Otter Tail County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 53% below US
154 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 2134/100k · Fergus Falls Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 50% below US
13 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 12.9 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 7% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 79°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 4°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 19% below US
29% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 29%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
14 public schools inside the boundary
There are 14 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Bottom line
Fergus Falls's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and brutally cold winters. A year of median rent ($911/mo) equals 19% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, anyone prioritizing low crime, and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.
Other places near Fergus Falls
All Minnesota guides →Moving to Detroit Lakes →
38 mi away · pop. 10,025
Rent $954/mo · Income $62,958
Compare with Fergus Falls →Moving to Alexandria →
44 mi away · pop. 14,735
Rent $934/mo · Income $61,374
Compare with Fergus Falls →Moving to Moorhead →
51 mi away · pop. 45,036
Rent $1,033/mo · Income $72,761
Compare with Fergus Falls →Not sure Fergus Falls is the one?
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