Mille Lacs County, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Mille Lacs 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 averageAmong the 5 least healthy counties in Minnesota
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C
Income Below averageLess wealthy than 87% of counties in Minnesota
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 93% of counties in Minnesota
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Mille Lacs County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 27,123 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 39.8 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.64% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.8 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 10,672 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Mille Lacs County grew by 4.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 27,123 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Mille Lacs County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 20.3% of residents. That is 0.6 points above Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 5,270 19.4% -1.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 5,481 20.2% -1.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 5,514 20.3% +0.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,036 18.6% +2.0 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 Mille Lacs County and men 51.1%.
- Women 48.9% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 51.1% Minnesota 50.0%
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Economy
Mille Lacs County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Mille Lacs County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $73,418 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.60% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.0% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Mille Lacs County is about 18% lower than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | Mille Lacs County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $275,520 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $903 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 77.9% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Mille Lacs County is about 25.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $903 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Mille Lacs County spend about 47 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 198 hours, about 8.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Mille Lacs County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.7 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 47.4 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 198 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,129 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.2% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,900 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 689 | 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 Mille Lacs County is 24 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
Mille Lacs County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Mille Lacs County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 15.7% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.50 | 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
Mille Lacs County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Mille Lacs County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.4 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 14.6% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.5% | 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).
Mille Lacs County, MN Compared With Nearby Counties
Mille Lacs County, MN is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 27,123 residents against a local median of 42,094. The measure that sets Mille Lacs County, MN apart most is median home price: $275,520, 21% above the local median of $228,515.
The counties themselves spread $222,312 on median home price, so Mille Lacs County, MN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Mille Lacs County, MN has the 2nd highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mille Lacs County, MN | 27,123 | $73,418 #4/5 | $275,520 #2/5 | 23.7 min #3/5 |
| Benton County, MN | 41,593 | $74,348 | $219,711 | 18.4 min |
| Isanti County, MN | 42,596 | $87,417 | $237,318 | 26.9 min |
| Sherburne County, MN | 100,509 | $106,364 | $321,740 | 28.8 min |
| Morrison County, MN | 34,249 | $70,796 | $99,428 | 23.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Mille Lacs County, Minnesota.
How big is Mille Lacs County, Minnesota by population?
About 27,123 people live in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, in 10,672 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 41.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
How densely populated is Mille Lacs County, Minnesota?
Averaged over its land area, Mille Lacs County, Minnesota has 40 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 46% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Mille Lacs County, Minnesota an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 3.8 times the median household income ($275,520 against $73,418), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $903 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota?
Unemployment in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota is only 4.0%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
What share of adults in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota have a college degree?
15.7% of adults in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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