Otter Tail County, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Otter Tail 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 | Otter Tail County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 60,475 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 27.2 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.59% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 47.0 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 25,156 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Otter Tail County grew by 6.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 60,475 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Otter Tail 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 10,396 17.2% -4.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 9,916 16.4% -5.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 12,449 20.6% +0.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 14,523 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 Otter Tail County and men 50.4%.
- Women 49.6% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 50.4% Minnesota 50.0%
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Economy
Otter Tail County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Otter Tail County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $72,292 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.82% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.8% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Otter Tail County is about 20% lower than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | Otter Tail County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $201,531 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $868 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 79.5% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Otter Tail County is about 19.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $868 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Otter Tail County spend about 33 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 136 hours, about 5.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Otter Tail County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 16.3 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 32.6 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 136 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,212 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.4% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,875 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 408 | 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 Otter Tail County is 16 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
Otter Tail County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Otter Tail County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24.8% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.35 | 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
Otter Tail County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Otter Tail County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 81.0 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.1% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.9% | 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).
Otter Tail County, MN Compared With Nearby Counties
How Otter Tail County, MN compares with the 2 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otter Tail County, MN | 60,475 | $72,292 #2/3 | $201,531 #2/3 | 16.3 min #2/3 |
| Becker County, MN | 35,340 | $71,230 | $225,015 | 16.9 min |
| Douglas County, MN | 39,575 | $78,681 | $111,250 | 16.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
How big is Otter Tail County, Minnesota by population?
About 60,475 people live in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, in 25,156 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 47.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 10 years.
How densely populated is Otter Tail County, Minnesota?
Averaged over its land area, Otter Tail County, Minnesota has 27 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 31% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Otter Tail County, Minnesota?
The median home costs 2.8 times the median household income ($201,531 against $72,292), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $868 a month takes about 14% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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