Cottage Grove, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Cottage Grove, 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 average
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A
Income Above average
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B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Cottage Grove | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 39,611 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1055.6 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.76% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 37.4 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 13,882 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Cottage Grove grew by 23.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 39,611 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Cottage Grove is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 24.4% of residents. That is 2.6 points above Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 8,491 21.4% +0.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 9,670 24.4% +2.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 8,019 20.2% +0.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,807 12.1% -4.4 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 50.7% of the people living in Cottage Grove and men 49.3%.
- Women 50.7% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 49.3% Minnesota 50.0%
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Economy
Cottage Grove has a the economy index of A, which means it is very prosperous.
| Metric | Cottage Grove | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $122,606 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.37% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.7% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Cottage Grove is about 36% higher than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | Cottage Grove | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $27,500 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,770 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 88.2% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Cottage Grove is about 1.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,770 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Cottage Grove spend about 47 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 195 hours, about 8.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Cottage Grove | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.4 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 46.9 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 195 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,052 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 21.3% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 11,310 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,375 | 854 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Cottage Grove is 23 minutes, longer 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
Cottage Grove has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Cottage Grove | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36.5% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.85 | 2.43 | 2.53 |
Health
Cottage Grove has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Cottage Grove | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.8 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 8.2% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 14.7% | 18.5% | 19.0% |
Cottage Grove, MN Compared With Nearby Cities
How Cottage Grove, MN compares with the 2 cities closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cottage Grove, MN | 39,611 | $122,606 #2/3 | $27,500 #2/3 | 23.4 min #3/3 |
| Woodbury, MN | 78,283 | $125,468 | $624,998 | 22.7 min |
| Inver Grove Heights, MN | 34,071 | $102,159 | $8,394 | 21.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Cottage Grove, Minnesota.
What is the population of Cottage Grove, Minnesota?
About 39,611 people live in Cottage Grove, Minnesota, in 13,882 households of 2.8 people on average. The median age is 37.4, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Cottage Grove, Minnesota urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Cottage Grove, Minnesota has 1,056 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 12 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Cottage Grove, Minnesota?
The median home costs 0.2 times the median household income ($27,500 against $122,606), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,770 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Cottage Grove, Minnesota?
Unemployment in Cottage Grove, Minnesota is only 3.7%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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