Murray County, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Murray 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 average
-
B
Income Around average
-
D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Murray County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 8,097 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 11.2 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.55% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 47.9 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 3,609 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Murray County declined by 7.8% from 2010 to 2024, reaching 8,097 in 2024.
Population Growth 2010–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Murray County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 24.1% of residents. That is 7.5 points above Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,319 16.3% -5.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,306 16.1% -5.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 1,701 21.0% +1.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 1,949 24.1% +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 50.1% of the people living in Murray County and men 49.9%.
- Women 50.1% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 49.9% Minnesota 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Murray County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Murray County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Murray County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $74,135 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.53% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.7% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Murray County is about 17% lower than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | Murray County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $215,000 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $810 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 82.2% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Murray County is about 22.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $810 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Murray County spend about 37 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 152 hours, about 6.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Murray County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.3 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 36.6 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 152 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,724 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.9% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,745 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 293 | 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 Murray County is 18 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
Murray County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Murray County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 20.6% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.21 | 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
Murray County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Murray County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 81.4 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.1% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.5% | 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).
Murray County, MN Compared With Nearby Counties
How Murray County, MN compares with the 2 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murray County, MN | 8,097 | $74,135 #2/3 | $215,000 #2/3 | 18.3 min #3/3 |
| Nobles County, MN | 22,041 | $67,652 | $215,001 | 12.7 min |
| Lyon County, MN | 25,503 | $75,660 | $101,293 | 11.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Murray County, Minnesota.
How many people live in Murray County, Minnesota?
About 8,097 people live in Murray County, Minnesota, in 3,609 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 47.9, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 11 years.
Is Murray County, Minnesota mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Murray County, Minnesota has 11 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 13% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Murray County, Minnesota an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.9 times the median household income ($215,000 against $74,135), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $810 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 Murray County, Minnesota?
Unemployment in Murray County, Minnesota is only 2.7%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How common is a college degree in Murray County, Minnesota?
20.6% of adults in Murray County, Minnesota hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), 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 →