Steele County, MN

County

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2024 Population

37,439

US Senator

Amy Klobuchar

Democratic(DFL) Party

US Senator

Tina Smith

Democratic(DFL) Party

2024 Median Age

40.5

0.746% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

8.33%

12% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$84,196

0.896% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$245,400

4.78% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

18,834

0.365% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Steele 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.

97.9% of the residents in Steele County, MN are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Steele County, MN was $245,400, and the homeownership rate was 79.4%.

Most people in Steele County, MN drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 19.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Steele County, MN was 2 cars per household.

Steele County, MN borders Dodge County, MN, Freeborn County, MN, Mower County, MN, Rice County, MN, and Waseca County, MN.

United States Minnesota Owatonna, MN

Population & Diversity

Steele County, MN is home to a population of 37.4k people, from which 97.9% are citizens. As of 2024, 4.32% of Steele County, MN residents were born outside of the country (1.62k people).

In 2024, there were 24.4 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (31.2k people) in Steele County, MN than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.28k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 1.22k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.9%

2024 Citizenship

97.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.9% of Steele County, MN residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Steele County, MN was 97.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Steele County, MN

White (Non-Hispanic)
31.2k ± 264
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
1.28k ± 337
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
1.22k ± 200

8.88%

Hispanic Population

3.33k people

8.88% of the people in Steele County, MN are hispanic (3.33k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Steele 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
58,764 ± 5,921 people
Somalia
36,253 ± 4,660 people
India
31,836 ± 4,368 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Minnesota was Mexico, the natal country of 58,764 Minnesota residents, followed by Somalia with 36,253 and India with 31,836.

Foreign-Born Population

4.32%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.62k people

4.82%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.8k people

As of 2024, 4.32% of Steele County, MN residents (1.62k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Steele County, MN was 4.82%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
875 ± 182
Gulf War (2001-)
452 ± 167
Gulf War (1990s)
256 ± 124

Steele County, MN has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.94 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Steele County, MN.

Economy

The economy of Steele County, MN employs 18.8k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Steele County, MN were Manufacturing (3,640 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (2,625 people), and Retail Trade (2,324 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($101,338), Finance & Insurance ($90,607), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($89,450).

Employment

Occupations

18.8k

2024 Value

± 882

−0.365%

1 Year decline

± 6.59%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Steele County, MN declined at a rate of −0.365%, from 18.9k employees to 18.8k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Steele County, MN, are Production Occupations (1,981 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,822 people), and Management Occupations (1,811 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Steele County, MN.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

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.

Industries

Employment by Industries

18.8k

2024 Value

± 882

−0.365%

1 Year decline

± 6.59%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Steele County, MN declined at a rate of −0.365%, from 18.9k employees to 18.8k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Steele County, MN, are Manufacturing (3,640 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (2,625 people), and Retail Trade (2,324 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Steele County, MN, though some of these residents may live in Steele County, MN and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$61,466

Median earning men ± $1,932

$43,602

Median earning women ± $2,410

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($103,647), Public Administration ($93,194), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($81,667).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($97,537), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($70,982), and Public Administration ($65,458).

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

78
Other Services (except Public Administration)
74
Construction
61
Retail Trade

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

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$320k
Finance and Insurance
$285k
Manufacturing
$120k
Health Care and Social Assistance

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

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Minnesota went to Kamala Harris with 50.9% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (46.7%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.738%).

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

Voting results are not available for Steele County, MN. Showing the available data for Minnesota.

2024 Election Results

Kamala Harris (50.9%)
Democratic Party
Donald J. Trump (46.7%)
Republican Party
Robert Kennedy (0.738%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Minnesota went to Kamala Harris with 50.9% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (46.7%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.738%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Minnesota for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Steele County, MN was $245,400 in 2024, which is 0.738 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $234,200 to $245,400, a 4.78% increase. The homeownership rate in Steele County, MN is 79.4%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Steele County, MN have an average commute time of 19.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Steele County, MN is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 12% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Steele County, MN. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.839%.

Housing

Property

$245,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$8,328

$12,020

Median Property Taxes

±$676

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 Steele County, MN the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

79.4%

Homeownership

2024

60.9%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 79.4% of the housing units in Steele County, MN were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 79.9%.

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

Equity

Household Income

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

$84,196

Median Household Income

± $5,645

15.1k

Number of Households

± 781

In 2024, the median household income of the 15.1k households in Steele County, MN grew to $84,196 from the previous year's value of $83,448.

The following chart displays the households in Steele 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 Steele County, MN is from Minnesota.

0.454

2023 Wage GINI in Minnesota

0.458

2022 Wage GINI in Minnesota

In 2023, the income inequality in Minnesota was 0.454 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.78% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Minnesota was lower than than the national average of 0.476. 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 2024

Drove Alone (80.2%)
Worked At Home (8.68%)
Carpooled (6.72%)

In 2024, 80.2% of workers in Steele County, MN drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (8.68%) and those who carpooled to work (6.72%).

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

19.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Steele County, MN have a shorter commute time (19.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.72% of the workforce in Steele County, MN have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Steele 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 Steele County, MN distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Steele County, MN have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 12% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Steele County, MN. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.839%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

8.33% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Steele County, MN (3.08k out of 36.9k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 65 - 74, followed by Males 6 - 11 and then Males 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Steele County, MN is White, followed by Hispanic and Black.

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 2025, 9.7% of the children was living in poverty in Steele County, MN. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3%.

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.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 126 in Steele County, MN. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 1.99 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

96.5% of the population of Steele County, MN has health coverage, with 54% on employee plans, 15.3% on Medicaid, 15.5% on Medicare, 10.4% on non-group plans, and 1.27% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Steele County, MN see 1,698 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,698 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1169 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 323 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.1% were men and 49.9% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,698 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Steele County, MN

Primary care physicians in Steele County, MN see an average of 1,698 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,698 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 26% under 18 years, 17.5% between 18 and 34 years, 37.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 18.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.1% were men and 49.9% were women.

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

Uninsured People

3.54%

Uninsured

54%

Employer Coverage

15.3%

Medicaid

15.5%

Medicare

10.4%

Non-Group

1.27%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Steele County, MN declined by 0.819% from 3.57% to 3.54%.

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

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 40.5 in Steele County, MN.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Steele County, MN.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 36.9% in Steele County, MN.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Steele County, MN.