Sibley County, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Sibley 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 80% of counties in Minnesota
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D
Education Well below averageLess educated than 90% of counties in Minnesota
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Sibley County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 11,297 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 18.8 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.09% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.4 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 5,937 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Sibley County declined by 24.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 11,297 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Sibley County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.1% of residents. That is 2.5 points above Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 2,115 18.7% -2.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,286 20.2% -1.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,502 22.1% +2.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 1,881 16.6% +0.1 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 49.0% of the people living in Sibley County and men 51.0%.
- Women 49.0% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 51.0% Minnesota 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Sibley County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Sibley County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Sibley County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $78,818 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.60% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.8% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Sibley County is about 12% lower than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | Sibley County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $85,588 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $854 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 79.9% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Sibley County is about 8.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $854 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Sibley County spend about 47 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 196 hours, about 8.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Sibley County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.6 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 47.1 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 196 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,084 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.9% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,958 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 460 | 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 Sibley County is 24 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
Sibley County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Sibley County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 17.1% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 1.89 | 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
Sibley County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Sibley County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.8 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.1% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.2% | 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).
Sibley County, MN Compared With Nearby Counties
Sibley County, MN is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 11,297 residents against a local median of 36,799. The measure that sets Sibley County, MN apart most is median home price: $85,588, 62% below the local median of $224,959.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 23.6 min against a local median of 17.0 min, 39% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 39% above the local median it puts Sibley County, MN at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $133,770 on median home price, so Sibley County, MN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Sibley County, MN has the 6th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sibley County, MN | 11,297 | $78,818 #5/6 | $85,588 #6/6 | 23.6 min #6/6 |
| Nicollet County, MN | 34,262 | $79,826 | $170,076 | 13.5 min |
| McLeod County, MN | 36,799 | $80,800 | $303,846 | 17.0 min |
| Carver County, MN | 110,041 | $126,357 | $303,125 | 22.6 min |
| Le Sueur County, MN | 29,116 | $92,665 | $224,959 | 22.4 min |
| Blue Earth County, MN | 69,837 | $74,407 | $195,031 | 13.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Sibley County, Minnesota.
How big is Sibley County, Minnesota by population?
About 11,297 people live in Sibley County, Minnesota, in 5,937 households of 1.9 people on average. The median age is 42.4, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Sibley County, Minnesota mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Sibley County, Minnesota has 19 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 22% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Sibley County, Minnesota?
The median home costs 1.1 times the median household income ($85,588 against $78,818), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $854 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 Sibley County, Minnesota?
Unemployment in Sibley County, Minnesota is only 3.8%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
What share of adults in Sibley County, Minnesota have a college degree?
17.1% of adults in Sibley County, Minnesota hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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