Koochiching County, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Koochiching 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.
-
B
Health Around averageLess healthy than 81% of counties in Minnesota
-
C
Income Below averageLess wealthy than 93% of counties in Minnesota
-
D
Education Well below averageLess educated than 84% of counties in Minnesota
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Koochiching County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 11,832 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 3.8 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -1.10% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 51.9 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 5,871 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Koochiching County declined by 11.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 11,832 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Koochiching County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 24.0% of residents. That is 7.5 points above Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,943 16.4% -4.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,944 16.4% -5.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,800 23.7% +4.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,844 24.0% +7.5 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 49.6% of the people living in Koochiching County and men 50.4%.
- Women 49.6% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 50.4% Minnesota 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Koochiching County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Koochiching County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Koochiching County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $66,575 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.14% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.8% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Koochiching County is about 26% lower than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | Koochiching County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $272,727 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $671 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 80.4% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Koochiching County is about 33.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $671 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Koochiching County spend about 23 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 98 hours, about 4.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Koochiching County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 11.7 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 23.4 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 98 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $3,026 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 12.2% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 671 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 176 | 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 Koochiching 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
Koochiching County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Koochiching County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.1% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 1.96 | 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
Koochiching County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Koochiching County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.8 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 14.8% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.6% | 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).
Koochiching County, MN Compared With Nearby Counties
Koochiching County, MN is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 11,832 residents against a local median of 43,444. Where Koochiching County, MN breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 82% above the local median of $150,163 at $272,727.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 11.7 min against a local median of 17.7 min, 34% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 34% below the local median it puts Koochiching County, MN at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $211,228 on median home price, so Koochiching County, MN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Koochiching County, MN has the 2nd highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koochiching County, MN | 11,832 | $66,575 #5/5 | $272,727 #2/5 | 11.7 min #1/5 |
| Itasca County, MN | 45,273 | $68,729 | $280,561 | 18.4 min |
| Beltrami County, MN | 41,614 | $69,036 | $69,333 | 16.1 min |
| Cass County, MN | 30,992 | $68,462 | $171,195 | 21.0 min |
| St. Louis County, MN | 200,015 | $70,519 | $129,132 | 16.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Koochiching County, Minnesota.
How many people live in Koochiching County, Minnesota?
About 11,832 people live in Koochiching County, Minnesota, in 5,871 households of 2.0 people on average. The median age is 51.9, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 15 years.
How densely populated is Koochiching County, Minnesota?
Averaged over its land area, Koochiching County, Minnesota has 4 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 4% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Koochiching County, Minnesota?
The median home costs 4.1 times the median household income ($272,727 against $66,575), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $671 a month takes about 12% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Koochiching County, Minnesota have a college degree?
16.1% of adults in Koochiching County, Minnesota hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →