Blue Earth County, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Blue Earth 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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A
Health Above averageHealthier than 91% of counties in Minnesota
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C
Income Below averageLess wealthy than 80% of counties in Minnesota
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B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 90% of counties in Minnesota
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Blue Earth County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 69,837 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 91.3 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.78% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 32.8 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 27,599 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Blue Earth County grew by 16.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 69,837 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Blue Earth County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 33.6% of residents. That is 12.3 points above Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 23,467 33.6% +12.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 13,078 18.7% -3.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 10,827 15.5% -4.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 9,723 13.9% -2.6 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 49.8% of the people living in Blue Earth County and men 50.2%.
- Women 49.8% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 50.2% Minnesota 50.0%
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Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Blue Earth County
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Economy
Blue Earth County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Blue Earth County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $74,407 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.48% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.9% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Blue Earth County is about 17% lower than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | Blue Earth County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $195,031 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,123 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 61.4% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Blue Earth County is about 14.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,123 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Blue Earth County spend about 27 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 114 hours, about 4.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Blue Earth County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 13.6 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 27.3 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 114 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $3,525 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.5% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,289 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 692 | 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 Blue Earth County is 14 minutes, shorter than the 20 minutes 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
Blue Earth County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Blue Earth County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 28.8% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.37 | 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
Blue Earth County has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Blue Earth County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.4 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 11.3% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.8% | 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).
Blue Earth County, MN Compared With Nearby Counties
How Blue Earth County, MN compares with the 2 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Earth County, MN | 69,837 | $74,407 #3/3 | $195,031 #2/3 | 13.6 min #2/3 |
| Nicollet County, MN | 34,262 | $79,826 | $170,076 | 13.5 min |
| Le Sueur County, MN | 29,116 | $92,665 | $224,959 | 22.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Blue Earth County, Minnesota.
How big is Blue Earth County, Minnesota by population?
About 69,837 people live in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, in 27,599 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 32.8, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Blue Earth County, Minnesota urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Blue Earth County, Minnesota has 91 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Blue Earth County, Minnesota?
The median home costs 2.6 times the median household income ($195,031 against $74,407), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,123 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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