Demographics of Cottonwood County, Minnesota

Cottonwood County, Minnesota had 11,405 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: −112 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the American Community Survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Cottonwood County, in four figures

11,405
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; −1.0%
Change since July 2020: −112 people.; 40.3 ±1.1
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $72,941 ±$5,820
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. Each year's change is births less deaths, net moves from abroad and net moves from elsewhere in the country, with the Bureau's small residual. The 2020 row's components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

Cottonwood County, Minnesota's population shrank 1.0% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Cottonwood County, Minnesota's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

Source: The Census Bureau

About this chart

The figures

Cottonwood County, Minnesota's population shrank 1.0% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Cottonwood County, Minnesota's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	11,517	100.0	100.0
2021	11,592	100.7	100.2
2022	11,409	99.1	100.7
2023	11,427	99.2	101.6
2024	11,407	99.0	102.5
2025	11,405	99.0	103.1

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Population of Cottonwood County, Minnesota on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	11,517	+3	−4	0	+7
2021	11,592	+75	−37	+1	+105
2022	11,409	−183	−8	+17	−200
2023	11,427	+18	+9	+53	−40
2024	11,407	−20	−1	+119	−138
2025	11,405	−2	+14	+41	−56

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 40.3 ±1.1: for men 37.8 ±1.4 and for women 41.9 ±0.7. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Cottonwood County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	Minnesota	United States
Under 5	726 ±57	6.3% ±0.5	5.8% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	2,158 ±160	18.8% ±1.4	17.0% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	959 ±130	8.4% ±1.1	8.8% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	2,474 ±158	21.6% ±1.4	26.6% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	2,544 ±153	22.2% ±1.3	24.5% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	2,597 ±188	22.7% ±1.6	17.3% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $72,941 ±$5,820, and income per person $36,506 ±$1,745, in 2024 dollars. The median is $89,062 ±$409 in Minnesota and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Cottonwood County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	Minnesota	United States
Under $25,000	701 ±111	15.1% ±2.4	11.7% ±0.2	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	988 ±147	21.3% ±3.1	14.9% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	696 ±107	15.0% ±2.3	15.6% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	690 ±109	14.9% ±2.3	13.2% ±0.1	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	959 ±126	20.7% ±2.6	19.6% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	259 ±67	5.6% ±1.4	11.2% ±0.2	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	337 ±81	7.3% ±1.7	13.8% ±0.1	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Cottonwood County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	Minnesota	United States
All ages	1,681 ±232	15.0% ±2.1	9.3% ±0.2	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	612 ±124	21.3% ±4.0	10.3% ±0.3	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	587 ±130	11.6% ±2.5	9.1% ±0.2	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	482 ±121	14.7% ±3.6	8.7% ±0.2	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Cottonwood County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Cottonwood County	Minnesota	United States
Housing units	5,168 ±63	2,545,030 ±1,535	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	89.6% ±2.5	90.7% ±0.2	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	10.4% ±2.4	9.3% ±0.2	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	74.4% ±2.6	72.2% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	25.6% ±3.1	27.8% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$169,300 ±$8,902	$329,300 ±$903	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$817 ±$75	$1,280 ±$7	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1963 ±3	1979 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Cottonwood County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	Minnesota	United States
Hispanic or Latino	1,298 ±0	11.3% ±<0.1	6.4% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	9,172 ±62	80.0% ±0.5	75.9% ±<0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	190 ±50	1.7% ±0.4	6.9% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	435 ±52	3.8% ±0.5	5.1% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	14 to 66	0.1% to 0.6%	0.7% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	85 ±16	0.7% ±0.1	< 0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0 to 47	0% to 0.4%	0.5% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	221 ±105	1.9% ±0.9	4.5% ±0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Cottonwood County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	Minnesota	United States
Born in the state	7,990 ±229	69.7% ±2.0	67.1% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	2,499 ±232	21.8% ±2.0	23.4% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	80 to 266	0.7% to 2.3%	0.9% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	796 ±150	6.9% ±1.3	8.7% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	315 ±71	2.7% ±0.6	5.1% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	481 ±118	4.2% ±1.0	3.6% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Cottonwood County among the counties of Minnesota

65th of 87 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the Minnesota page.

Counties of Minnesota near Cottonwood County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Pennington County	13,686	−1.8%
Chippewa County	12,406	−1.6%
Koochiching County	11,587	−3.7%
Watonwan County	11,459	+2.0%
Pope County	11,420	+0.8%
Cottonwood County	11,405	−1.0%
Lake County	10,746	−1.6%
Jackson County	9,857	−1.3%
Swift County	9,763	−0.4%
Stevens County	9,747	+0.8%
Rock County	9,524	−1.7%

Elsewhere on the site

Rankings this appears in

No. 1 Counties in Minnesota by poverty rate
No. 6 Counties in Minnesota by Hispanic or Latino share
No. 11 Counties in Minnesota by foreign-born share
No. 18 Counties in Minnesota by median household income
No. 29 Counties in Minnesota by median rent
No. 39 Counties in Minnesota by per capita income

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Compiled automatically from Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change and American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File by a checked SQL query · Editor: Kian O'Connor · How this site is built

Data retrieved September 25, 2026