South St. Paul, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
South St. Paul, 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 average
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | South St. Paul | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 21,076 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 3470.6 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.19% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.2 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 8,618 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in South St. Paul grew by 7.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 21,076 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in South St. Paul is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 23.9% of residents. That is 2.0 points above Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 4,666 22.1% +0.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 5,035 23.9% +2.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,281 20.3% +0.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,052 14.5% -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 50.7% of the people living in South St. Paul and men 49.3%.
- Women 50.7% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 49.3% Minnesota 50.0%
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Economy
South St. Paul has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | South St. Paul | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $87,622 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.90% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.8% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in South St. Paul is about 2% lower than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | South St. Paul | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $350,000 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,187 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 70.7% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in South St. Paul is about 24.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,187 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in South St. Paul spend about 41 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 173 hours, about 7.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | South St. Paul | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.7 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.5 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 173 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,357 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 14.7% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 20,590 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,084 | 854 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in South St. Paul is 21 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
South St. Paul has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | South St. Paul | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 28.3% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.42 | 2.43 | 2.53 |
Health
South St. Paul has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | South St. Paul | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.5 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 11.4% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.9% | 18.5% | 19.0% |
South St. Paul, MN Compared With Nearby Cities
How South St. Paul, MN compares with the 2 cities closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South St. Paul, MN | 21,076 | $87,622 #2/3 | $350,000 #1/3 | 20.7 min #1/3 |
| West St. Paul, MN | 21,361 | $69,556 | $283,607 | 21.2 min |
| Inver Grove Heights, MN | 34,071 | $102,159 | $8,394 | 21.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about South St. Paul, Minnesota.
What is the population of South St. Paul, Minnesota?
About 21,076 people live in South St. Paul, Minnesota, in 8,618 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 38.2, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is South St. Paul, Minnesota mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, South St. Paul, Minnesota has 3,471 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 40 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in South St. Paul, Minnesota?
The median home costs 4.0 times the median household income ($350,000 against $87,622), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,187 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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