Chippewa County, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Chippewa 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 80% of counties in Minnesota
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B
Income Around average
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D
Education Well below averageLess educated than 72% of counties in Minnesota
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Chippewa County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 12,377 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 21.0 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.27% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.8 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 5,126 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Chippewa County declined by 0.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 12,377 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Chippewa County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 20.0% of residents. That is 3.5 points above Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 2,408 19.5% -1.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,248 18.2% -3.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,440 19.7% on par
- Boomers 61–79 2,480 20.0% +3.5 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 50.0% of the people living in Chippewa County and men 50.0%.
- Women 50.0% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 50.0% Minnesota 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Chippewa County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Chippewa County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Chippewa County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $70,506 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.45% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.3% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Chippewa County is about 22% lower than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | Chippewa County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $24,166 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $869 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 72.3% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Chippewa County is about 2.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $869 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Chippewa County spend about 24 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 99 hours, about 4.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Chippewa County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 11.8 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 23.7 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 99 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $3,059 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.5% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 826 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 292 | 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 Chippewa County is 12 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
Chippewa County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Chippewa County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 20.3% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.34 | 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
Chippewa County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Chippewa County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.1 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.9% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.7% | 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).
Chippewa County, MN Compared With Nearby Counties
How Chippewa County, MN compares with the 1 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chippewa County, MN | 12,377 | $70,506 #2/2 | $24,166 #2/2 | 11.8 min #1/2 |
| Kandiyohi County, MN | 44,079 | $77,140 | $206,357 | 13.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Chippewa County, Minnesota.
What is the population of Chippewa County, Minnesota?
About 12,377 people live in Chippewa County, Minnesota, in 5,126 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 41.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Chippewa County, Minnesota mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Chippewa County, Minnesota has 21 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 24% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Chippewa County, Minnesota an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 0.3 times the median household income ($24,166 against $70,506), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $869 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Chippewa County, Minnesota?
20.3% of adults in Chippewa County, Minnesota hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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