Stearns County, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Stearns 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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A
Health Above averageHealthier than 87% of counties in Minnesota
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B
Income Around average
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C
Education Below averageBetter educated than 74% of counties in Minnesota
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Stearns County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 160,684 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 115.6 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.61% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 35.2 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 61,328 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Stearns County grew by 10.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 160,684 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Stearns County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 26.8% of residents. That is 5.5 points above Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 43,067 26.8% +5.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 30,373 18.9% -2.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 29,532 18.4% -1.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 24,673 15.4% -1.2 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 49.7% of the people living in Stearns County and men 50.3%.
- Women 49.7% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 50.3% Minnesota 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Stearns County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Stearns County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Stearns County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $77,155 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.83% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.1% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Stearns County is about 14% lower than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | Stearns County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $322,521 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,067 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 67.9% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Stearns County is about 25.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,067 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Stearns 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 143 hours, about 6.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Stearns County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.2 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 34.4 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 143 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,447 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.6% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,502 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 813 | 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 Stearns 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
Stearns County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Stearns County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24.7% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.49 | 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
Stearns County has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Stearns County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 81.9 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 11.7% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.3% | 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).
Stearns County, MN Compared With Nearby Counties
Stearns County, MN is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 160,684 residents against a local median of 34,249. 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.
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 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stearns County, MN | 160,684 | $77,155 #1/6 | $322,521 #1/6 | 17.2 min #2/6 |
| Meeker County, MN | 23,466 | $75,665 | $210,465 | 18.9 min |
| Kandiyohi County, MN | 44,079 | $77,140 | $206,357 | 13.4 min |
| Morrison County, MN | 34,249 | $70,796 | $99,428 | 23.4 min |
| Todd County, MN | 25,575 | $67,400 | $100,000 | 21.4 min |
| Benton County, MN | 41,593 | $74,348 | $219,711 | 18.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Stearns County, Minnesota.
How many people live in Stearns County, Minnesota?
About 160,684 people live in Stearns County, Minnesota, in 61,328 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 35.2, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
How densely populated is Stearns County, Minnesota?
Averaged over its land area, Stearns County, Minnesota has 116 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Stearns County, Minnesota?
The median home costs 4.2 times the median household income ($322,521 against $77,155), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,067 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Stearns County, Minnesota?
Unemployment in Stearns County, Minnesota is only 4.1%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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