Pope County, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Pope 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 averageHealthier than 72% of counties in Minnesota
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 74% of counties in Minnesota
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Pope County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 11,416 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 15.9 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.50% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 45.4 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 4,957 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Pope County grew by 4.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 11,416 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Pope County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 23.7% of residents. That is 7.1 points above Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,921 16.8% -4.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,054 18.0% -3.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,312 20.2% +0.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,701 23.7% +7.1 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 49.9% of the people living in Pope County and men 50.1%.
- Women 49.9% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 50.1% Minnesota 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Pope County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Pope County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Pope County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $77,585 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.22% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 1.3% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Pope County is about 14% lower than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | Pope County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $275,004 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $902 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 83.5% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Pope County is about 25.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $902 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Pope County spend about 36 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 | Pope County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.2 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 36.5 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 152 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,713 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.7% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,364 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 377 | 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 Pope 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
Pope County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Pope County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 21.8% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.26 | 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
Pope County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Pope County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 82.5 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.5% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.4% | 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).
Pope County, MN Compared With Nearby Counties
How Pope County, MN compares with the 2 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pope County, MN | 11,416 | $77,585 #2/3 | $275,004 #1/3 | 18.2 min #3/3 |
| Douglas County, MN | 39,575 | $78,681 | $111,250 | 16.1 min |
| Kandiyohi County, MN | 44,079 | $77,140 | $206,357 | 13.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Pope County, Minnesota.
What is the population of Pope County, Minnesota?
About 11,416 people live in Pope County, Minnesota, in 4,957 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 45.4, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 8 years.
Is Pope County, Minnesota urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Pope County, Minnesota has 16 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 18% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Pope County, Minnesota an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 3.5 times the median household income ($275,004 against $77,585), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $902 a month takes about 14% 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 Pope County, Minnesota?
Unemployment in Pope County, Minnesota is only 1.3%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How educated are people in Pope County, Minnesota?
21.8% of adults in Pope 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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