Cottonwood County, MN

County

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2023 Population

11,458

0.2% 1-year decline

US Senator

Amy Klobuchar

Democratic(DFL) Party

US Senator

Tina Smith

Democratic(DFL) Party

2023 Median Age

41.3

0.242% 1-year decrease

2023 Poverty Rate

14.2%

10.5% 1-year increase

2023 Median Household Income

$68,239

7.32% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$154,000

8.76% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

5,419

0.389% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, Cottonwood County, MN had a population of 11.5k people with a median age of 41.3 and a median household income of $68,239. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Cottonwood County, MN declined from 11,481 to 11,458, a −0.2% decrease and its median household income grew from $63,586 to $68,239, a 7.32% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Cottonwood County, MN are White (Non-Hispanic) (81.5%), Other (Hispanic) (5.48%), Two+ (Hispanic) (3.46%), Asian (Non-Hispanic) (3.41%), and Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (1.75%).

None of the households in Cottonwood County, MN reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

96.4% of the residents in Cottonwood County, MN are U.S. citizens.

In 2023, the median property value in Cottonwood County, MN was $154,000, and the homeownership rate was 76.1%.

Most people in Cottonwood County, MN drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 16 minutes. The average car ownership in Cottonwood County, MN was 2 cars per household.

Cottonwood County, MN borders Brown County, MN, Jackson County, MN, Murray County, MN, Nobles County, MN, Redwood County, MN, and Watonwan County, MN.

United States Minnesota

Population & Diversity

Cottonwood County, MN is home to a population of 11.5k people, from which 96.4% are citizens. As of 2023, 5.93% of Cottonwood County, MN residents were born outside of the country (679 people).

In 2023, there were 14.9 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (9.34k people) in Cottonwood County, MN than any other race or ethnicity. There were 628 Other (Hispanic) and 396 Two+ (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.4%

2023 Citizenship

96.2%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 96.4% of Cottonwood County, MN residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Cottonwood County, MN was 96.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Cottonwood County, MN compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Cottonwood County, MN

White (Non-Hispanic)
9.34k ± 44
Other (Hispanic)
628 ± 158
Two+ (Hispanic)
396 ± 138

10.5%

Hispanic Population

1.2k people

10.5% of the people in Cottonwood County, MN are hispanic (1.2k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Cottonwood County, MN as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Minnesota.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
53,321 ± 5,642 people
Somalia
38,263 ± 4,786 people
India
30,262 ± 4,259 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Minnesota was Mexico, the natal country of 53,321 Minnesota residents, followed by Somalia with 38,263 and India with 30,262.

Foreign-Born Population

5.93%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

679 people

5.91%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

678 people

As of 2023, 5.93% of Cottonwood County, MN residents (679 people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Cottonwood County, MN was 5.91%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Cottonwood County, MN compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
200 ± 52
Gulf War (1990s)
74 ± 41
Gulf War (2001-)
35 ± 25

Cottonwood County, MN has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.7 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Cottonwood County, MN employs 5.42k people. The largest industries in Cottonwood County, MN are Manufacturing (918 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (814 people), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (566 people), and the highest paying industries are Transportation & Warehousing ($70,863), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($70,436), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($60,833).

Males in Minnesota have an average income that is 1.27 times higher than the average income of females, which is $68,089. The income inequality in Minnesota (measured using the Gini index) is 0.458, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

5.42k

2023 Value

± 347

0.389%

1 Year growth

± 8.7%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Cottonwood County, MN grew at a rate of 0.389%, from 5.4k employees to 5.42k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Cottonwood County, MN, are Management Occupations (737 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (634 people), and Production Occupations (526 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Cottonwood County, MN.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for false.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Minnesota (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

5.42k

2023 Value

± 347

0.389%

1 Year growth

± 8.7%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Cottonwood County, MN grew at a rate of 0.389%, from 5.4k employees to 5.42k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Cottonwood County, MN, are Manufacturing (918 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (814 people), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (566 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Cottonwood County, MN, though some of these residents may live in Cottonwood County, MN and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$49,340

Median earning men ± $3,262

$36,051

Median earning women ± $3,077

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($72,238), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($67,750), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($59,375).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Wholesale Trade ($53,750), Manufacturing ($46,820), and Construction ($41,875).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Minnesota.

Y-Axis

2.26%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 2.93M people employed in Minnesota. This represents a 2.26% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 13.4%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Minnesota.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

37
Other Services (except Public Administration)
20
Finance and Insurance
20
Construction

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

Depending on the option selected, the visualization shows the number of employees or number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$73k
Manufacturing
$27.8k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$20.3k
Construction

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2020 presidential election, the popular vote in Cottonwood County, MN went to Donald J. Trump with 68.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Joseph R Biden Jr. (30%), followed by Jo Jorgensen (0.901%).

Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith are the senators currently representing the state of Minnesota. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Minnesota is currently represented by 8 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

2020 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (68.2%)
Republican Party
Joseph R Biden Jr. (30%)
Democratic Party
Jo Jorgensen (0.901%)
Libertarian Party

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Cottonwood County, MN for each registered party from 1976 to 2020.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Minnesota

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Minnesota.

Amy Klobuchar

Senator from Minnesota

Assumed office on January 3, 2007
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) is the Minnesota affiliate of the U.S. Democratic Party and its members are counted as Democrats.

Tina Smith

Senator from Minnesota

Assumed office on January 3, 2018
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Al Franken.

Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith are the senators currently representing Minnesota.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Minnesota over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Minnesota

Minnesota is currently represented by 8 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for Minnesota have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

Completions

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Minnesota.

Measure

In 2022, 0.877% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.991% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Minnesota.

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (1.07M), Bachelors Degree (1.04M), and Some college (962k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Cottonwood County, MN was $154,000 in 2023, which is 0.508 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $141,600 to $154,000, a 8.76% increase. The homeownership rate in Cottonwood County, MN is 76.1%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Cottonwood County, MN have an average commute time of 16 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Cottonwood County, MN is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Cottonwood County, MN is $68,239. In 2023, the tract with the highest Median Household Income in Cottonwood County, MN was Census Tract 2703 with a value of $84,531, followed by Census Tract 2701 and Census Tract 2702, with respective values of $66,641 and $60,938.

In 2023, 10.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Cottonwood County, MN. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator grew 0.314%.

Housing

Property

$154,000

Median Property Value 2023

±$10,847

$3,544

Median Property Taxes

±$254

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Cottonwood County, MN the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Cottonwood County, MN compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

76.1%

Homeownership

2023

60.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 76.1% of the housing units in Cottonwood County, MN were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 76.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Cottonwood County, MN compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 2703
Census Tract 2701
Census Tract 2702

In 2023, the tract with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Cottonwood County, MN was Census Tract 2703 with a value of $84,531, followed by Census Tract 2701 and Census Tract 2702, with respective values of $66,641 and $60,938.

The following map shows all of the tracts in Cottonwood County, MN colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$68,239

Median Household Income

± $7,395

4.66k

Number of Households

± 308

In 2023, the median household income of the 4.66k households in Cottonwood County, MN grew to $68,239 from the previous year's value of $63,586.

The following chart displays the households in Cottonwood County, MN distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Cottonwood County, MN is from Minnesota.

0.458

2022 Wage GINI in Minnesota

0.459

2021 Wage GINI in Minnesota

In 2022, the income inequality in Minnesota was 0.458 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.267% decline from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Minnesota was lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Minnesota in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Minnesota across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023

Drove Alone (74.2%)
Worked At Home (10.1%)
Carpooled (9.58%)

In 2023, 74.2% of workers in Cottonwood County, MN drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (10.1%) and those who carpooled to work (9.58%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

16 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Cottonwood County, MN have a shorter commute time (16 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 2.63% of the workforce in Cottonwood County, MN have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Cottonwood County, MN compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Cottonwood County, MN distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Cottonwood County, MN have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2023, 10.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Cottonwood County, MN. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator grew 0.314%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

14.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Cottonwood County, MN (1.59k out of 11.2k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Females 75+ and then Females 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Cottonwood County, MN is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2023, 15.7% of the children was living in poverty in Cottonwood County, MN. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 1.1%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

94.6% of the population of Cottonwood County, MN has health coverage, with 46.3% on employee plans, 16.4% on Medicaid, 18% on Medicare, 12.6% on non-group plans, and 1.44% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Cottonwood County, MN see 1606 patients per year on average, which represents a 14.7% increase from the previous year (1400 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1653 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 826 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.8% were men and 50.2% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,606 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Cottonwood County, MN

Primary care physicians in Cottonwood County, MN see an average of 1,606 patients per year. This represents a 14.7% increase from the previous year (1,400 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Cottonwood County, MN in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 26.9% under 18 years, 17.4% between 18 and 34 years, 34.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 21.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.8% were men and 50.2% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

5.36%

Uninsured

46.3%

Employer Coverage

16.4%

Medicaid

18%

Medicare

12.6%

Non-Group

1.44%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Cottonwood County, MN grew by 22.5% from 4.38% to 5.36%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Cottonwood County, MN changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.