Aitkin County, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Aitkin County, MN Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageLess healthy than 94% of counties in Minnesota
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C
Income Below averageAmong the 5 least wealthy counties in Minnesota
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Aitkin County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 16,059 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 8.1 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.27% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 57.5 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 7,223 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Aitkin County grew by 1.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 16,059 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Aitkin County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 32.7% of residents. That is 16.1 points above Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 2,180 13.6% -7.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,106 13.1% -8.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,574 22.3% +2.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,248 32.7% +16.1 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Minnesota, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 49.4% of the people living in Aitkin County and men 50.6%.
- Women 49.4% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 50.6% Minnesota 50.0%
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Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Aitkin County
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Economy
Aitkin County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Aitkin County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $60,982 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.11% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.8% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Aitkin County is about 32% lower than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | Aitkin County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $51,671 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $868 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 85.3% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Aitkin County is about 5.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $868 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Aitkin County spend about 41 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 169 hours, about 7.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Aitkin County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.3 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 40.6 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 169 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,246 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 12.7% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,020 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 515 | 854 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Minnesota:
Brown County (10.6 min), Pennington County (10.8 min), Cottonwood County (10.9 min).
Slowest:
Chisago County (30.9 min), Wright County (28.8 min), Sherburne County (28.8 min).
The average commute time in Aitkin County is about the same as in Minnesota.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Aitkin County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Aitkin County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 17.3% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.19 | 2.43 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Minnesota:
Hennepin County (0.4), Olmsted County (0.4), Carver County (0.4).
Lowest:
Nobles County (0.2), Mahnomen County (0.2), Watonwan County (0.2).
Health
Aitkin County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Aitkin County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.5 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.6% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.5% | 18.5% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Minnesota:
Carver County (0.8), Washington County (0.8), Stevens County (0.8).
Lowest:
Mahnomen County (0.8), Clearwater County (0.8), Beltrami County (0.8).
Aitkin County, MN Compared With Nearby Counties
Aitkin County, MN is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 16,059 residents against a local median of 33,075. Aitkin County, MN's median home price, at $51,671, runs 78% below the $236,623 typical of the counties around it.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $60,982 against a local median of $73,305, 17% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is median household income, and at 17% below the local median it puts Aitkin County, MN at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $184,145 on median home price, so Aitkin County, MN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Aitkin County, MN has the 5th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aitkin County, MN | 16,059 | $60,982 #5/5 | $51,671 #5/5 | 20.3 min #3/5 |
| Crow Wing County, MN | 67,686 | $73,193 | $348,837 | 17.6 min |
| Mille Lacs County, MN | 27,123 | $73,418 | $275,520 | 23.7 min |
| Carlton County, MN | 36,511 | $84,337 | $164,691 | 18.9 min |
| Pine County, MN | 29,640 | $70,962 | $197,727 | 23.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Aitkin County, Minnesota.
What is the population of Aitkin County, Minnesota?
About 16,059 people live in Aitkin County, Minnesota, in 7,223 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 57.5, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 20 years.
Is Aitkin County, Minnesota mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Aitkin County, Minnesota has 8 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 9% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Aitkin County, Minnesota?
The median home costs 0.8 times the median household income ($51,671 against $60,982), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $868 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Aitkin County, Minnesota?
17.3% of adults in Aitkin County, Minnesota hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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