St. Louis County, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
St. Louis 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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C
Income Below averageLess wealthy than 83% of counties in Minnesota
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C
Education Below averageBetter educated than 87% of counties in Minnesota
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | St. Louis County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 200,015 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 29.2 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.03% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.0 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 87,067 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in St. Louis County grew by 1.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 200,015 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in St. Louis County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 23.0% of residents. That is 1.7 points above Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 45,911 23.0% +1.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 37,105 18.6% -3.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 40,356 20.2% +0.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 40,801 20.4% +3.9 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 49.8% of the people living in St. Louis County and men 50.2%.
- Women 49.8% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 50.2% Minnesota 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in St. Louis County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
St. Louis County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | St. Louis County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $70,519 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.56% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.6% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in St. Louis County is about 22% lower than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | St. Louis County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $129,132 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,013 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 71.2% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in St. Louis County is about 10.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,013 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in St. Louis County spend about 34 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 141 hours, about 5.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | St. Louis County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 16.9 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 33.9 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 141 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,377 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.2% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,864 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 823 | 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 St. Louis County is 17 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
St. Louis County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | St. Louis County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 28.6% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.20 | 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
St. Louis County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | St. Louis County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.2 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.4% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.9% | 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).
St. Louis County, MN Compared With Nearby Counties
St. Louis County, MN is the largest of the 4 counties compared here, 200,015 residents against a local median of 44,229. Where St. Louis County, MN breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 22% below the local median of $164,691 at $129,132.
The counties themselves spread $132,535 on median home price, so St. Louis County, MN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. St. Louis County, MN has the 4th highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis County, MN | 200,015 | $70,519 #3/4 | $129,132 #4/4 | 16.9 min #1/4 |
| Carlton County, MN | 36,511 | $84,337 | $164,691 | 18.9 min |
| Itasca County, MN | 45,273 | $68,729 | $280,561 | 18.4 min |
| Douglas County, WI | 44,229 | $75,125 | $148,025 | 18.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about St. Louis County, Minnesota.
What is the population of St. Louis County, Minnesota?
About 200,015 people live in St. Louis County, Minnesota, in 87,067 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 42.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is St. Louis County, Minnesota urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, St. Louis County, Minnesota has 29 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 34% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in St. Louis County, Minnesota?
The median home costs 1.8 times the median household income ($129,132 against $70,519), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,013 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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