Red Lake County, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Red Lake 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 averageLess educated than 87% of counties in Minnesota
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Red Lake County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 3,915 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 9.0 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.40% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.3 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 1,671 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Red Lake County declined by 5.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 3,915 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Red Lake County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.2% of residents. That is 1.5 points above Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 683 17.4% -3.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 737 18.8% -3.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 832 21.2% +1.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 778 19.9% +3.3 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 49.1% of the people living in Red Lake County and men 50.9%.
- Women 49.1% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 50.9% Minnesota 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Red Lake County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Red Lake County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Red Lake County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $76,854 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.69% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 1.1% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Red Lake County is about 14% lower than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | Red Lake County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $168,749 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $582 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 83.4% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Red Lake County is about 24.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $582 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Red Lake County spend about 44 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 183 hours, about 7.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Red Lake County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.0 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 44.0 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 183 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,683 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.1% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 772 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 376 | 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 Red Lake County is 22 minutes, longer 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
Red Lake County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Red Lake County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.3% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.32 | 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
Red Lake County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Red Lake County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.8 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.4% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.2% | 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).
Red Lake County, MN Compared With Nearby Counties
How Red Lake County, MN compares with the 1 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Lake County, MN | 3,915 | $76,854 #1/2 | $168,749 #2/2 | 22.0 min #2/2 |
| Polk County, MN | 30,705 | $73,256 | $252,273 | 13.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Red Lake County, Minnesota.
What is the population of Red Lake County, Minnesota?
About 3,915 people live in Red Lake County, Minnesota, in 1,671 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 41.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Red Lake County, Minnesota mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Red Lake County, Minnesota has 9 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 10% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Red Lake County, Minnesota?
The median home costs 2.2 times the median household income ($168,749 against $76,854), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $582 a month takes about 9% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Red Lake County, Minnesota?
Unemployment in Red Lake County, Minnesota is only 1.1%, 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 Red Lake County, Minnesota?
16.3% of adults in Red Lake County, Minnesota hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), 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 →