Stearns County, Minnesota Housing Market Prices
Stearns County Home Prices and Rent at a Glance
The median home price (often called the average home price), rent costs, affordability metrics, and housing stock characteristics for this housing market.
-
Median home price 36% above the Minnesota median More expensive than 90% of counties in Minnesota$322,521
-
Median rent 17% below the Minnesota median More expensive than 83% of counties in Minnesota$1,067
Median Home Price Map: Nearby Counties
Housing Market Overview
| Metric | Stearns County | Minnesota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $322,521 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Price Trend (Annual %) | 12.5% | 6.6% | 7.5% |
| Median Gross Rent | $1,067 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Rent Trend (Annual %) | 4.5% | 4.9% | 5.1% |
| Household Income Trend (Annual %) | — | — | — |
The median home price in Stearns County is about 36% higher than in Minnesota. Rent is about 17% lower than the Minnesota average.
Median Home and Rent Price Trends
Median Home Prices, 2015-2024
Median Rent Prices, 2015-2024
Both home prices and rent are rising in Stearns County, up about 12.5% and 4.5% a year respectively. Home prices are changing faster.
Median rent in Stearns County rose about 44.0% between 2015 and 2024, from $741 to $1,067. Over the same span, rent in Minnesota rose about 51.1%.
Affordability
On average, housing unit costs 4.2 yearly household incomes in Stearns County.
Buying the median-priced home in Stearns County costs roughly 25.2 years of rent at the median monthly rate. That is a relatively high price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor renting over buying in Stearns County. The price-to-rent ratio in Minnesota is about 15.4.
| Metric | Stearns County | Minnesota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $322,521 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median Household Income | $77,155 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Price-to-Income Ratio | 4.2 | 2.6 | 3.1 |
Home Prices vs Income Over Time
Between 2015 and 2024, the median home price in Stearns County rose about 132.0%, while median household income rose about 45.7% between 2009 and 2025 — the home price grew faster than income.
Income Growth vs Housing Cost Growth (Year-over-Year %)
Compare income and housing cost trends.
Occupancy & Tenure
| Metric | Stearns County | Minnesota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeownership Rate | 62.5% | 65.5% | 58.5% |
| Rental Rate | 29.6% | 25.2% | 31.2% |
| Vacancy Rate | 7.8% | 9.3% | 10.2% |
| Median Tenure (years) | 15.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Median Year Moved In | 2011 | 2011 | 2011 |
Stearns County has a homeownership rate of 62.5%, lower than the Minnesota average of 65.5%. Its housing vacancy rate is 7.8%, compared with 9.3% in Minnesota.
Housing Stock
| Metric | Stearns County | Minnesota Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size | 2.49 people | 2.43 people | 2.53 people |
| Median Structure Built Year | 1982 | 1976 | 1978 |
| Median Number of Rooms | 6.0 | 6.1 | 5.5 |
The typical housing unit in Stearns County was built around 1982. On average, 2.5 people live in a home with about 6.0 rooms, staying for about 15.0 years on average.
Stearns County, MN Housing Compared With Nearby Counties
Stearns County, MN is the largest of the 4 counties compared here, 160,684 residents against a local median of 41,593. Where Stearns County, MN breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 56% above the local median of $206,357 at $322,521.
Median rent tells the same story from another angle: $1,067 against a local median of $909, 17% above it. The counties themselves spread $120,284 on median home price, so Stearns County, MN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Stearns County, MN has the highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median home price | Median rent | Homeownership |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stearns County, MN | 160,684 | $322,521 #1/4 | $1,067 #1/4 | 67.9% #3/4 |
| Kandiyohi County, MN | 44,079 | $206,357 | $909 | 72.5% |
| Morrison County, MN | 34,249 | $99,428 | $787 | 80.6% |
| Benton County, MN | 41,593 | $219,711 | $981 | 66.7% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the housing market in Stearns County, Minnesota.
What is the median home price in Stearns County, Minnesota?
The median home price in Stearns County, Minnesota is $322,521, higher than the Minnesota average of $236,718.
What is the average home price in Stearns County, Minnesota?
The typical home price in Stearns County, Minnesota, reported as the median sale price, is $322,521. The median is used instead of a mathematical average because it is not skewed by a small number of very expensive or very cheap homes, so it better reflects what a typical buyer pays.
What is the median rent in Stearns County, Minnesota?
The median gross rent in Stearns County, Minnesota is $1,067 per month, lower than the Minnesota average of $1,280.
What was the median gross rent in Stearns County in 2020?
In 2020, the median gross rent in Stearns County, Minnesota was $860 per month.
What is the price-to-rent ratio in Stearns County, Minnesota?
The price-to-rent ratio in Stearns County, Minnesota is about 25.2, meaning it would take roughly 25.2 years of rent payments at the median rent to equal the median home price. That is a relatively high price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor renting over buying in Stearns County.
Are home prices or rent rising faster in Stearns County, Minnesota?
Both home prices and rent are rising in Stearns County, up about 12.5% and 4.5% a year respectively. Home prices are changing faster.
What is the homeownership rate in Stearns County, Minnesota?
62.5% of households in Stearns County, Minnesota own their home, lower than the Minnesota average of 65.5%.
What is the vacancy rate in Stearns County, Minnesota?
The housing vacancy rate in Stearns County, Minnesota is 7.8%, lower than the Minnesota average of 9.3%.
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 →