Houston County, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Houston 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 averageHealthier than 78% of counties in Minnesota
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 84% of counties in Minnesota
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D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 71% of counties in Minnesota
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Houston County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 18,653 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 32.8 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.09% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 45.1 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 8,134 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Houston County declined by 4.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 18,653 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Houston County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.3% of residents. That is 2.6 points above Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,209 17.2% -4.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,390 18.2% -3.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,155 22.3% +2.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,957 21.2% +4.7 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 50.3% of the people living in Houston County and men 49.7%.
- Women 50.3% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 49.7% Minnesota 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Houston County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Houston County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Houston County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $79,233 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.51% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 1.6% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Houston County is about 12% lower than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | Houston County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $187,142 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $878 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 83.4% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Houston County is about 17.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $878 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Houston 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 171 hours, about 7.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Houston County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.6 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.1 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 171 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,313 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 13.6% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,904 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 814 | 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 Houston County is 21 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
Houston County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Houston County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 25.7% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.26 | 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
Houston County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Houston County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 82.9 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.1% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.8% | 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).
Houston County, MN Compared With Nearby Counties
Houston County, MN is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 18,653 residents against a local median of 49,782. The measure that sets Houston County, MN apart most is commute: 20.6 min, 25% above the local median of 16.4 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 11.9 min on commute, so Houston County, MN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Houston County, MN has the 3rd lowest commute of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston County, MN | 18,653 | $79,233 #1/4 | $187,142 #2/4 | 20.6 min #3/4 |
| Winona County, MN | 49,782 | $70,228 | $72,999 | 13.2 min |
| La Crosse County, WI | 120,486 | $73,102 | $167,812 | 16.4 min |
| Fillmore County, MN | 21,414 | $78,803 | $208,333 | 25.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Houston County, Minnesota.
How many people live in Houston County, Minnesota?
About 18,653 people live in Houston County, Minnesota, in 8,134 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 45.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 8 years.
Is Houston County, Minnesota urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Houston County, Minnesota has 33 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 38% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Houston County, Minnesota?
The median home costs 2.4 times the median household income ($187,142 against $79,233), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $878 a month takes about 13% 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 Houston County, Minnesota?
Unemployment in Houston County, Minnesota is only 1.6%, 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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