MetroCog presents 2025 Metro Profile; report shows population growth, low unemployment and shifting travel patterns

MetroCog presented its 2025 Metro Profile to the Clay County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 13, summarizing six chapters that cover community demographics, roadways, freight, rail and air service, active transportation and system performance.

A MetroCog presenter told the board that the metro area added 5,173 residents in 2024, roughly a 2% increase from the previous year, with Moorhead and Dilworth seeing modest gains and rural Clay County recording a slight population decline. “In 2024, there were 5,173 new residents added to the metro area, resulting in a nearly 2% change,” the presenter said.

The presentation also highlighted employment strengths: the metro ranked No. 2 nationally for lowest unemployment in 2024 and maintains higher-than-average labor-force participation, the presenter said. On mobility, MetroCog noted an average one-way commute time of about 17 minutes in the metro versus a 27-minute national average and identified major 2024 roadway projects such as the 11th Street underpass in Moorhead and reconstruction of 32nd Avenue in Fargo.

Freight measures showed a decline in air cargo at Fargo Hector International—about a 14% drop year-over-year—attributed by the presenter to national trends and a terminated FedEx–USPS contract. The presentation introduced a new metric this year showing freight trucks account for 11.7% of traffic on Interstate 29 and 7.4% on Interstate 94.

Rail and air service also improved: Amtrak’s Empire Builder ridership rose nearly 14% from the prior year, with on-time performance up about 4.5%. Fargo Hector recorded nearly 1.1 million passengers in 2024, and staff noted the airport’s parking garage is complete with the terminal expansion expected around 2027.

Active-transportation data showed the metro’s trail network approaches 300 miles and that automated and manual counters recorded a 4% increase in bike and pedestrian trips in 2024; the presenter also warned of an increase in nonmotorized crashes, including two fatalities in South Fargo. The profile documents a half-mile transit buffer that includes about 170,000 residents and 108,704 jobs, with 8% of households car-free and measurable shares of older adults and residents with disabilities—numbers MetroCog said could guide targeted service improvements.

Board members thanked MetroCog staff for the report; no formal action was taken on the presentation.