Pennington County, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Pennington 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 72% of counties in Minnesota
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Pennington County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 11,337 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 18.3 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.04% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.2 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 5,092 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Pennington County declined by 17.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 11,337 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Pennington County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 20.5% of residents. That is 1.3 points below Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 2,231 19.7% -1.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,326 20.5% -1.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,267 20.0% +0.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,115 18.7% +2.1 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 Pennington 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 Pennington County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Pennington County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Pennington County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $77,455 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.49% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.9% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Pennington County is about 14% lower than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | Pennington County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $162,120 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $862 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 75.3% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Pennington County is about 15.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $862 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Pennington County spend about 22 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 90 hours, about 3.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Pennington County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 10.8 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 21.7 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 90 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $2,799 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.2% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 899 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 612 | 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 Pennington County is 11 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
Pennington County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Pennington County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 19.1% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.19 | 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
Pennington County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Pennington County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.0 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.3% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.0% | 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).
Pennington County, MN Compared With Nearby Counties
How Pennington County, MN compares with the 1 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennington County, MN | 11,337 | $77,455 #1/2 | $162,120 #2/2 | 10.8 min #1/2 |
| Polk County, MN | 30,705 | $73,256 | $252,273 | 13.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Pennington County, Minnesota.
What is the population of Pennington County, Minnesota?
About 11,337 people live in Pennington County, Minnesota, in 5,092 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 40.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
Is Pennington County, Minnesota urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Pennington County, Minnesota has 18 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 21% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Pennington County, Minnesota?
The median home costs 2.1 times the median household income ($162,120 against $77,455), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $862 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 Pennington County, Minnesota?
Unemployment in Pennington County, Minnesota is only 2.9%, 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 Pennington County, Minnesota?
19.1% of adults in Pennington 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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