St. Joseph is a small town with a large college student population. Because of this, there is a real youthful, hip vibe to the place, and much of the life in the town is centered on the college. This has helped St. Joseph to buck the trend of other small towns that have suffered declining populations over the past 20 to 30 years. Spending by students, and faculty and staff jobs, are a big part of the local economy.
The population of St. Joseph is very well educated relative to most cities and towns in the nation, where the average community has 21.84% of its adult population holding a 4-year degree or higher: 35.78% of adults in St. Joseph have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree.
The per capita income in St. Joseph in 2022 was $29,347, which is low income relative to Minnesota, and lower middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $117,388 for a family of four. However, St. Joseph contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
St. Joseph is a somewhat ethnically-diverse city. The people who call St. Joseph home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of St. Joseph residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in St. Joseph include German, Irish, Norwegian, Polish, and Somalian.
The most common language spoken in St. Joseph is English. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and African languages.
