Minnesota Counties by Population (2025)

Top 5 Most Populous Counties

Minnesota flag Hennepin County

1,262,007

Minnesota flag Ramsey County

533,619

Minnesota flag Dakota County

455,776

Minnesota flag Anoka County

379,107

Minnesota flag Washington County

284,470

87 Counties

County
2025 Pop. ↓
Area (mi²)
Density
Change (2020)
Hennepin County1,262,0075542,278-1.53%
Ramsey County533,6191523,511-3.28%
Dakota County455,7765638103.49%
Anoka County379,1074228984.01%
Washington County284,4703857395.99%
St. Louis County202,4266,248321.17%
Olmsted County166,2806542541.99%
Stearns County162,4471,3431212.5%
Scott County158,5963564454.79%
Wright County157,21466123810.81%
Carver County112,9313543195.25%
Sherburne County105,5384332448.14%
Blue Earth County70,812748952.32%
Crow Wing County69,144998694.33%
Rice County68,7984961392.53%
Clay County67,0541,045642.62%
Otter Tail County60,7901,972311.15%
Chisago County59,8094151445.45%
Winona County50,225626801.16%
Goodhue County48,023757630.94%
Beltrami County47,1322,505191.9%
Itasca County45,7072,668171.49%
Isanti County44,1244361016.59%
Kandiyohi County43,897797550.4%
Benton County41,7824081021.03%
Douglas County40,491637643.59%
Mower County40,074711560.04%
Steele County37,405430870.06%
Carlton County37,387861433.32%
McLeod County36,887492750.36%
Becker County35,1231,31527-0.2%
Morrison County34,2761,125300.77%
Nicollet County34,04044976-1.32%
Cass County31,7222,021165.15%
Pine County31,5251,411229.09%
Freeborn County30,17970743-2.32%
Polk County29,7861,97115-4.15%
Le Sueur County29,517449663.07%
Mille Lacs County27,691572484.62%
Todd County25,935945272.53%
Lyon County25,41571436-0.03%
Brown County25,36061142-2.14%
Meeker County23,41860839-0.08%
Hubbard County22,470926245.01%
Wabasha County21,745523421.58%
Fillmore County21,658861251.95%
Dodge County21,280439481.87%
Nobles County21,26571530-4.23%
Martin County19,65971228-1.64%
Waseca County19,115423450.8%
Houston County18,29255233-2.96%
Kanabec County16,908522325.33%
Aitkin County16,0221,82191.91%
Sibley County15,396589264.08%
Redwood County15,14887917-1.75%
Roseau County15,0881,6729-1.4%
Wadena County14,251536270.95%
Renville County14,09898314-4.06%
Faribault County13,75971219-1%
Pennington County13,51061722-3.11%
Chippewa County11,97858121-5%
Koochiching County11,5573,1054-3.94%
Pope County11,360675170.31%
Cottonwood County11,19364017-2.8%
Watonwan County11,01943525-2.01%
Lake County10,7412,1095-1.57%
Jackson County9,96170314-0.34%
Stevens County9,954564182.98%
Swift County9,61574213-1.89%
Rock County9,54548220-1.35%
Yellow Medicine County9,43375912-0.65%
Pipestone County9,08146520-3.57%
Clearwater County8,65699990.91%
Marshall County8,6521,7755-4.15%
Murray County8,06770511-1.21%
Lac qui Parle County6,5787659-1.81%
Norman County6,2458737-2.97%
Wilkin County6,2027518-4.28%
Grant County6,175548111.35%
Cook County5,4751,4534-2.18%
Lincoln County5,41153710-3.8%
Mahnomen County5,1625589-4.05%
Big Stone County5,01749910-2.73%
Kittson County4,0081,0994-4.75%
Red Lake County3,97143290.84%
Lake of the Woods County3,5621,2983-5.39%
Traverse County2,9245745-12.82%

Overview of Minnesota Minnesota Counties

There are 87 counties in Minnesota.

In the state of Minnesota, Hennepin County is the most populous, with a population of 1,259,428. Since the time of the 2010 census, the county has experienced a population increase of 9.12%. More than 1 out of every 5 people in Minnesota live in Hennepin County, which is the county seat of Minneapolis.

Following Hennepin County as the most populous counties are:

Minnesota Counties with Fewest Residents

The Minnesota county with the lowest population count is Traverse County. Traverse County has a population of 3,308, which, since the 2010 census, has shrunk by 6.40%.

Other small Minnesota counties with a population below 5,000 residents are:

All of these counties have experienced negative population growth. Kittson County experienced the most significant population loss with a growth rate of -6.70%.

Minnesota Counties with Rapid Growth

The county with the most significant rate of growth in Minnesota is Carver County. With a population growth of 13.29% since the 2010 census, Carver County has a population of 103,551.

The next three counties with the most rapid growth in Minnesota are:

The county with the most rapid decrease in population is Lac qui Parle County, which has seen a loss of 8.11% since 2010.

Sources

  1. US Census State Population Estimates - Most recent state estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  2. US Census County Population Estimates - Most recent county estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  3. American Community Survey (2009 - 2013)
  4. Census QuickFacts
  5. Historical Populations of States and Counties (1790 - 1990)