2024 presidential election
Brainerd
TrumpR+17.9
Constituent county margins for Brainerd, MNOne cell per constituent county, colored by 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic), ordered bluest first.
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
| Donald Trump ✓Republican | 57.8% | 3,964 |
|---|---|---|
| Kamala HarrisDemocratic | 39.9% | 2,738 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 2.3% | 160 |
D+60R+60
1 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2008–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 2008 | +7.5% |
| 2012 | +4.0% |
| 2016 | −19.8% |
| 2020 | −16.1% |
| 2024 | −17.9% |
DemocraticRepublican
5 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Democratic | Republican | Other | Margin | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 39.9%Harris2,738 | 57.8%Trump3,964 | 2.3% | 6,862 | ||
| R | 40.2%Biden2,562 | 56.2%Trump3,586 | 3.6%incl. Jorgensen | 6,377 | ||
| R | 34.6%Clinton2,019 | 54.4%Trump3,173 | 11.0%incl. Johnson | 5,832 | ||
| D | 52.0%Obama2,932 | 48.0%Romney2,706 | 0.0% | 5,638 | ||
| D | 52.3%Obama3,198 | 44.8%McCain2,738 | 3.0% | 6,118 |
Demographics
Demographic profile
Demographic Profile
Key indicators compared across containing geographies
| Indicator | BrainerdCity | MinnesotaState | United StatesNation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Race & Ethnicity | |||
| White | 92.7% | 77.1% | 61.0% |
| Black | 0.8% | 7.0% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 0.1% | 5.1% | 6.0% |
| Two or more races | 3.7% | 7.0% | 12.6% |
| Other race | 2.7% | 3.8% | 8.2% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 3.1% | 6.4% | 19.3% |
| Income & Age | |||
| Median household income | $56,111 | $89,062 | $84,427 |
| Poverty rate | 15.0% | 9.3% | 12.5% |
| Median age | 35.1 | 39 | 39.1 |
| Age 18–24 | 6.6% | 8.8% | 9.2% |
| Age 65 and older | 24.4% | 17.2% | 17.2% |
| Education & Language | |||
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 29.3% | 39.4% | 35.6% |
| Speaks a non-English language at home | 2.0% | 12.5% | 22.3% |
| Ancestry | |||
| Largest ancestry | German 33.5% | German 29.2% | German 12.5% |
| 2nd-largest ancestry | Norwegian 13.5% | Norwegian 12.1% | Mexican 11.3% |
| 3rd-largest ancestry | Irish 11.3% | Irish 9.9% | English 9.5% |
| Religion | |||
| Catholic | 16.3%County context | 19.5% | 18.6% |
| Evangelical Protestant | 9.3%County context | 11.8% | 16.5% |
| Unaffiliated or unclaimed | 56.4%County context | 50.6% | 51.5% |
| Mainline Protestant | 16.6%County context | 13.5% | 5.2% |
ACS values are survey estimates and may include margins of error.
Religion data may be available only at county or larger geographies. Sub-county values are labeled when inherited, modeled, or contextual.
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the origins and ancestries reported within it.
Reported ancestry · ACS B04006
German
33.5%
Norwegian
13.5%
Irish
11.3%
Swedish
8.3%
English
8.0%
Polish
5.0%
French
4.4%
American
4.0%
The ACS does not publish subgroup detail for people reporting two or more races.
Specific origin · ACS B03001
Mexican
1.1%
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and other single-race responses combined.
Below 1% of the population here; subgroup estimates are within the survey's margin of error.
Below 1% of the population here; subgroup estimates are within the survey's margin of error.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Race shares: B02001 · B03003. Subgroup detail: B03001 (Hispanic or Latino specific origin), B02015 (Asian groups), B02020 · B02016 (American Indian/Alaska Native tribes and Pacific Islander groups), B04006 (reported ancestry). Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so group shares can total more than 100%. All subgroup rows are shares of total population; ancestry is self-reported and multiple-response, so rows do not sum to the parent group's share.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 35.1 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$56,111
Brainerd$56,111
Minnesota$89,062
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
15.0%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 1812.6%
Working age (18–64)9.0%
Seniors (65+)10.4%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
98.0%
speak English only
Spanish0.6%
German or other West Germanic0.4%
French (incl. Cajun & Haitian)0.3%
Other languages0.2%
Russian, Polish, or other Slavic0.1%
Other Indo-European0.1%
Tagalog (incl. Filipino)0.1%
Other Asian & Pacific Island0.1%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Unaffiliated or not counted56.4%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. The unaffiliated-or-not-counted share is everyone not claimed as an adherent by any reporting body — uncounted congregations as well as the religiously unaffiliated.
Brainerd sits in the Upper Midwest. In 2024 it voted Republican.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 7.5 points in 2008 and a Republican high of 19.8 points in 2016. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 1.8 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 17.9 points.
A population of 14,468, a 93% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $56,111 describe the city.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Brainerd, Minnesota. Akashic. https://akashic.app/city/2707300/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Brainerd, Minnesota vote in 2024?
In 2024, Brainerd, Minnesota voted Republican by 17.9 points (R+17.9), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 6,862 votes cast, 2,738 went Democratic and 3,964 went Republican.
What is Brainerd, Minnesota's political typology?
Akashic places Brainerd, Minnesota in the "" typology. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 5 elections in the dataset, the city has voted Democratic 2 times, Republican 3 times, and other 0 times.
When did Brainerd, Minnesota last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Brainerd, Minnesota voted Democratic was 2012.
How many people live in Brainerd, Minnesota?
Brainerd, Minnesota has a population of 14,468 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Brainerd, Minnesota?
Median household income in Brainerd, Minnesota is $56,111 — below the national median of $80,734. The Minnesota state median is $89,062.
What is the political history of Brainerd, Minnesota?
Akashic tracks 5 presidential elections in Brainerd, Minnesota from 2008 to 2024. Of those, 2 went Democratic and 3 went Republican. The city's typology — "" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.