Nicollet County, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Nicollet 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.
-
A
Health Above averageHealthier than 93% of counties in Minnesota
-
B
Income Around averageWealthier than 73% of counties in Minnesota
-
B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 91% of counties in Minnesota
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Nicollet County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 34,262 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 73.4 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.29% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 36.1 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 12,934 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Nicollet County grew by 7.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 34,262 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Nicollet County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 25.7% of residents. That is 4.4 points above Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 8,805 25.7% +4.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 6,848 20.0% -1.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 6,338 18.5% -1.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,584 16.3% -0.2 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 50.4% of the people living in Nicollet County and men 49.6%.
- Women 50.4% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 49.6% Minnesota 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Nicollet County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Nicollet County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Nicollet County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $79,826 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.42% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.2% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Nicollet County is about 11% lower than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | Nicollet County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $170,076 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $969 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 72.2% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Nicollet County is about 14.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $969 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Nicollet County spend about 27 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 112 hours, about 4.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Nicollet County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 13.5 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 26.9 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 112 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $3,478 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 13.4% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,193 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 688 | 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 Nicollet County is 13 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
Nicollet County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Nicollet County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 30.3% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.39 | 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
Nicollet County has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Nicollet County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 81.6 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 10.2% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.5% | 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).
Nicollet County, MN Compared With Nearby Counties
Nicollet County, MN is typical in size for this group, 34,262 residents against a local median of 32,958, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Nicollet County, MN's median home price, at $170,076, runs 36% below the $264,403 typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread $176,397 on median home price, so Nicollet County, MN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Nicollet County, MN has the 5th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicollet County, MN | 34,262 | $79,826 #3/5 | $170,076 #5/5 | 13.5 min #2/5 |
| Blue Earth County, MN | 69,837 | $74,407 | $195,031 | 13.6 min |
| McLeod County, MN | 36,799 | $80,800 | $303,846 | 17.0 min |
| Brown County, MN | 25,800 | $69,882 | $371,428 | 10.6 min |
| Le Sueur County, MN | 29,116 | $92,665 | $224,959 | 22.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Nicollet County, Minnesota.
How big is Nicollet County, Minnesota by population?
About 34,262 people live in Nicollet County, Minnesota, in 12,934 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 36.1, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Nicollet County, Minnesota mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Nicollet County, Minnesota has 73 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Is Nicollet County, Minnesota an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.1 times the median household income ($170,076 against $79,826), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $969 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 Nicollet County, Minnesota?
Unemployment in Nicollet County, Minnesota is only 2.2%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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 →