US Metro Real Estate Intelligence
Rankings/Duluth, MN-WI

Duluth, MN-WI

NeutralTier 1CBSA 20260Compare
Risk Rank: #55 of 287Month: 2025-12Score change (12m): +1
58score
Composite risk percentile vs 287 metros (higher = higher risk)

Cycle Phase

Duluth experienced a market correction from early 2025 through early 2025. The market has since normalized and entered Expansion.

Recovery
Expansion
Hypersupply
Recession
In Expansion for 2 months·Previously: Expansion

Normal growth conditions with balanced fundamentals

ExpRecRecRecExpExpRecHypExpRecHypRecRecRec2019202020212022202320242025
Recovery
Expansion
Hypersupply
Recession

Duluth's housing market shows average risk, ranking 55th of 287 metros. The market recently entered Expansion. Inventory is growing moderately (+11% YoY) with stable liquidity.

Executive Summary

Risk is Neutral, driven primarily by price momentum and affordability. The market is in Expansion phase. Liquidity is stable and valuation is compressed.

Top Risk Drivers (This Month)

Price Momentum
p98 (highest risk decile)
12-month HPI change
Affordability
p97 (highest risk decile)
Mortgage payment / income
Employment
p66 (moderate)
12-month employment change (risk inverted)

Market Signals

Inventory is growing at a moderate +11% pace with homes taking -8% longer to sell — within normal ranges.

Liquidity

Stable
Active Listings YoY
+11.1%p60
Days on Market YoY
-7.8%p33
Months in status5
Data through Dec 2025

Valuation

Compressed
Rent vs. Price Growth
-3.8%p17
Months in status6
Data through Dec 2025Rent growth vs price growth (rent support). Note: Affordability and Valuation measure different structural dimensions and can diverge.
Factor Details

Factor Breakdown

Price Momentum98

12-month HPI change — higher = overheating

Permit Growth10

YoY permit change — higher = supply pressure

Permits per Capita27

Permits per 1,000 residents — higher = overbuilding risk

Affordability97

Mortgage payment / income — higher = more burdened

Employment66

12-month employment change (risk inverted)

Migration47

Net AGI migration (risk inverted)

Underlying Values

MetricValuePctile
Price Momentum+7.8%p98
Permit Growth-26.2%p10
Permits/1K Pop2.28p27
Affordability0.38p97
Employment-0.1%p66
Net AGI Migration+$20Kp47
National ContextDoes not affect score

Credit Conditions

Credit Regime

Stable

Normal expansion. Credit is available, transactions are healthy — no constraints on current growth momentum.

Bank Lending Standards
-5.7Normal
Rate Change (YoY)
-74 bpsNormal
Mortgage Risk Premium
+189 bpsElevated
Stable for 8 quartersData through 2026-Q1

Supply Pipeline

Supply Regime

Accumulating

Supply pipeline is building up while credit remains available. New units are accumulating in the system — watch for delivery pressure in coming quarters.

Pipeline Ratio
0.91High
Completion-Permit Divergence
-3.2 ppNormal
Accumulating for 3 quartersData through 2025-Q4
Local SignalsDoes not affect score

Metro Permit Activity

Permit Activity

Cooling
YoY Permit Growth
-26.2%Below norm

Raw signal — not the composite percentile

Relative to 2016–2019 norms for this metro

Based on limited permit volume

Builders are pulling back but demand remains healthy. A supply constraint could form — fewer new units entering a market that is still absorbing well.

Liquidity

Liquidity

Stable
Active Listings YoY+11.1%
Days on Market YoY-7.8%
AssessmentBalanced conditions
Stable for 5 monthsData through Dec 2025
Internal Structure

Duluth's 3 counties show moderate divergence — St. Louis County carries the most risk (Elevated) while Douglas County anchors the lower end.

Moderate13.9Limited data
3 of 3 counties scored

Duluth, MN-WI shows Moderate internal divergence — some counties diverge meaningfully from the metro picture. St. Louis County contributes the most structural risk (Elevated, driven by affordability), while Douglas County anchors the lower end (Below Average).

Within-metro factor percentiles (0 = lowest risk, 100 = highest risk)
CountyScore
St. Louis CountyRisk Driver
67
Carlton County
50
Douglas CountyStabilizer
33
Score History
MonthScore
2025-1165
2025-1066
2025-0868
2025-0766
2025-0567
2025-0364
2025-0264
2025-0158
2024-1257
2024-1158
2024-1060
2024-0958
2024-0761
2024-0454
2024-0258
2024-0156
2023-1258
2023-1158
2023-0965
2023-0761
2023-0557
2023-0358
2022-1263
2022-1163
2022-1062
2022-0856
2022-0560
2022-0253
2022-0153
2021-1152
2021-1053
2021-0854
2021-0546
2021-0354
2021-0255
2020-1258
2020-1155
2020-0958
2020-0658
2020-0558
2020-0359
2020-0260
2019-1261
2019-1159
2019-0956
2019-0856
2019-0656
2019-0556
2019-0356
2019-0158
Data Vintages
Price (HPI)2025-Q3
Permits2025-12
Income2024
Employment2025-12
Migration2022