Thrive Up North

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Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board

About Itasca County

Thanks to its diverse economic base and natural beauty, our region trends in northern Minnesota with steady population growth and a population that has grown younger over the past decade. With loyal and welcoming residents, it’s easy to see why so many who discover our area’s assets will make the Itasca County area their forever home.

Why Live Here?

Average Commute Time - 16.3 Minutes
Average Rent - 25.4% less than Minnesota Average
Cost of Living - ⅓ less than Twin Cities Metro
Homeownership - 80%

Healthcare

The Itasca County area also cares for its residents through all stages of life. Personalized care is the hallmark of our healthcare system, with more physicians per person than state and national averages. escape the stress of city life in some of the purest waters in the nation, and enjoy the clean air and safe streets of a tight-knit, supportive community.

In the last Community Profile release, Healthcare and Education Services came in at the top with a workforce of 5,095 total employed at a top total payroll of $193,671,140.

Entrepreneurship

Itasca County is home to some of the most robust entrepreneurs in the country - they call Itasca County home because the quality of life meets the expectations for business. Entrepreneurship does more than provide employment opportunities – it creates market disruption and inspires new products and services that can change whole systems and support better standards of living for individuals and communities. Entrepreneurship gives people options, and within Itasca County the options are endless.

Partners

Incentives Program - "Luring" You to Itasca County

There are over 1,400 lakes in Itasca County, countless miles of trails, and endless amenities. We want to lure YOU to Itasca County: Hook, Line, and Sinker.

Area leaders have come together to create a collaborative rural recruitment marketing campaign that showcases the Itasca County Communities as a place that offers a great work life balance, good place to start a business, and a great place to raise a family. Check out our new Incentives Package.

Many incentives, one great outcome: a life in Itasca County.

What's stopping you? Come THRIVE with us!

The 2026 Package

WHAT'S IN YOUR "TACKLE-BOX?"

$1,000 Cash Incentive
6-Months free Gigazone internet through Paul Bunyan Communications (where available)
$50 to a Local Brewery
4 - Itasca County Family YMCA Day Passes
1 - Thrive Up North Branded RTIC 40 oz. Road Trip Tumbler
2 - Thrive Up North Branded Fishing Lures

Applicant Eligibility

APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY:

New, permanent place of residence must reside within Itasca County or a neighboring community.
Must have moved from at least 75 miles outside of Itasca County.
Must be legal to work in the United States.
Must be 21 years of age or older.
Must be defined as *full-time employment status in Itasca County (* = based on employer).
Must apply within two months of moving.

More Information & Apply Today

Applications for 2026 have been awarded.

Thank you for moving to Itasca County!

About Thrive Up North

Thrive Up North is a collaborative rural recruitment marketing campaign that showcases the Itasca County Communities as a place that offers a great work life balance, good place to start a business, and a great place to raise a family.

We want to leverage the success of existing industry, businesses, and individual entrepreneurs to attract new professionals, entrepreneurs and corporations to relocate or start a new business in the Itasca County communities.

Privacy Policy

The Thrive Up North Task Force oversees the operations behind http://www.thriveupnorth.com. This policy was created to notify you that we use your Personal Identifiable Information (PII) to gather useful and timely logged data to promote our community to potential future residents. PII may include, but is not limited to; your name, email or phone number. The logged data is the information that we gather from site visits, link redirects, length of your site visits, time and dates of your site visits and more. By visiting our site, you are agreeing to the collection and use of your PII through our logged data.

To learn more about the data this site collects or exercise your right to know, delete, and opt-out refer to the Privacy Manager Tool.

Acknowledgements

Thrive Up North would like to thank all of our funders for their help in making this campaign possible. Without you, people outside of our area may not have been able to see all that Itasca County has to offer. Our campaign has been supported by an amazing group of partners that formed a Thrive Up North Taskforce. Their hard work and effort is truly appreciated and never goes unnoticed. Your dedication to our area outshines any other. Thank you.