Meeker County, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Meeker 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 average
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 70% of counties in Minnesota
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Meeker County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 23,466 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 36.4 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.20% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 43.2 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 9,345 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Meeker County grew by 1.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 23,466 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Meeker County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 20.7% of residents. That is 1.0 points above Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 4,583 19.5% -1.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 4,134 17.6% -4.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,860 20.7% +1.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,803 20.5% +3.9 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 48.9% of the people living in Meeker County and men 51.1%.
- Women 48.9% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 51.1% Minnesota 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Meeker County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Meeker County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Meeker County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $75,665 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.31% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.2% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Meeker County is about 16% lower than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | Meeker County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $210,465 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $904 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 79.3% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Meeker County is about 19.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $904 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Meeker County spend about 38 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 157 hours, about 6.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Meeker County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.9 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 37.7 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 157 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,872 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.0% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,304 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 462 | 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 Meeker County is 19 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
Meeker County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Meeker County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 18.7% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.47 | 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
Meeker County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Meeker County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.7 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.7% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.9% | 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).
Meeker County, MN Compared With Nearby Counties
Meeker County, MN is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 23,466 residents against a local median of 96,152. The measure that sets Meeker County, MN apart most is median home price: $210,465, 29% below the local median of $295,527.
The counties themselves spread $116,165 on median home price, so Meeker County, MN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Meeker County, MN has the 4th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meeker County, MN | 23,466 | $75,665 #5/5 | $210,465 #4/5 | 18.9 min #4/5 |
| McLeod County, MN | 36,799 | $80,800 | $303,846 | 17.0 min |
| Stearns County, MN | 160,684 | $77,155 | $322,521 | 17.2 min |
| Kandiyohi County, MN | 44,079 | $77,140 | $206,357 | 13.4 min |
| Wright County, MN | 148,225 | $106,875 | $287,208 | 28.8 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Meeker County, Minnesota.
What is the population of Meeker County, Minnesota?
About 23,466 people live in Meeker County, Minnesota, in 9,345 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 43.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
Is Meeker County, Minnesota mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Meeker County, Minnesota has 36 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 42% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Meeker County, Minnesota an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.8 times the median household income ($210,465 against $75,665), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $904 a month takes about 14% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Meeker County, Minnesota?
Unemployment in Meeker County, Minnesota is only 3.2%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How educated are people in Meeker County, Minnesota?
18.7% of adults in Meeker 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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