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COUNTY

Freeborn County

Minnesota · 30,440 residents (2025 est.) · 707 sq mi
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The short version

Freeborn County is a county of 30,623 people in Minnesota. 18% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. Few US counties rank higher on income. At a median age of 44.3, this is an older place than the country as a whole. 80% of homes are owner-occupied. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $171,100.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 44.3
US median: 38.9
Less educated
18% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
30,623
−6%since 2000
from 32,584 in 2000
30,440 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
43 / sq mi
−2%since 2009
from 44 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
44.3
+10%since 2000
from 40.4 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
707 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
30K31K32K33K33K19902000201020202024Freeborn County
202431K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.2%(1,583)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.2%(1,579)
US avg: 6%
10 to 147.4%(2,275)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 195.8%(1,791)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.4%(1,643)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3410.4%(3,187)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4411.5%(3,530)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.3%(3,453)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6414.4%(4,425)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7412.7%(3,903)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 846.8%(2,083)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over3.8%(1,171)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$71,023
+5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $36,964 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$39,886
+118%since 2000
from $18,325 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
46.1%
+24.8 ptssince 2009
from 21.3% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
10.6%
+2.3 ptssince 2000
from 8.4% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.457
+8%since 2010
from 0.422 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade17.6%
US avg: 9.9%
Information12%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade6.4%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance6%
US avg: 5.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing5.3%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction5.3%
US avg: 1.2%
Professional, scientific, technical5%
US avg: 5.1%
Other services3.8%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration3.3%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing2%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services1%
US avg: 0.9%
Arts, entertainment, food0.9%
US avg: 1.9%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$171,100
+24%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $76,000 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$849
+27%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $368 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
79.5%
+0.8 ptssince 2000
from 78.7% in 2000
20.5% rent
Vacancy rate
9.0%
+1.3 ptssince 2009
from 7.7% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.34 people
+2%since 2009
from 2.30 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
17.3%
−6.0 ptssince 2009
from 23.3% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
40.1%
+4.2 ptssince 2009
from 36.0% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.4
−5%since 2009
from 2.5 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
46
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic92.3%(30,061)
Black0.2%(65)
Hispanic / Latino6.3%(2,049)
Asian0.5%(171)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic81.5%(24,948)
Black1.5%(459)
Hispanic / Latino10.8%(3,302)
Asian3.5%(1,086)
Other2.7%(828)
Diversity Score
40
+87%since 2009
from 22 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
32
+4%since 2020
from 31 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican9.1%(2,777)
Colombian0.4%(126)
Cuban0.3%(90)
Peruvian0.2%(63)
Puerto Rican0.2%(51)
Dominican0.1%(27)
Spaniard0.1%(23)
Panamanian0.1%(18)
+ 2 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Burmese2.5%(754)
Thai0.4%(111)
Hmong0.3%(78)
Laotian0.2%(51)
Vietnamese0.1%(44)
Korean0.1%(18)
Filipino0%(14)
Chinese0%(6)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0.2%(63)
Ancestry
German30%(9,175)
Norwegian24.1%(7,392)
Irish9.5%(2,902)
English6.2%(1,900)
Danish4.5%(1,365)
American3.9%(1,197)
Dutch2.7%(838)
Swedish2.5%(769)
Polish2.2%(661)
Czech1.9%(570)
French1.3%(413)
+ 30 more ancestry groups with data
Scottish1%(311)
Italian0.9%(263)
Scotch-Irish0.3%(90)
Finnish0.3%(88)
Russian0.3%(88)
Welsh0.2%(70)
British0.2%(65)
Latvian0.2%(64)
Belgian0.2%(48)
Austrian0.1%(42)
Ukrainian0.1%(36)
Hungarian0.1%(25)
Arab0.1%(18)
Swiss0%(15)
Egyptian0%(13)
Canadian0%(11)
Greek0%(5)
Slovak0%(3)
Syrian0%(2)
Serbian0%(1)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
18.2%
+5.4 ptssince 2000
from 12.8% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
91.4%
+10.2 ptssince 2000
from 81.2% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
6.0%
+2.4 ptssince 2000
from 3.6% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
19.7 min
+57%since 2000
from 12.5 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
79.4%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 80.4% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.8%
−1.7 ptssince 2009
from 9.5% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.1%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 0.5% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
7.6%
+2.0 ptssince 2009
from 5.6% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.8%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 2.7% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.4%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.4% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
5.8%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 5.2% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.6%
−0.4 ptssince 2011
from 5.0% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
61.4%
−4.2 ptssince 2011
from 65.5% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
80.3%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 80.5% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
14.3%
+3.9 ptssince 2009
from 10.4% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
33.1%
+7.0 ptssince 2009
from 26.1% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.6%
+1.1 ptssince 2009
from 49.6% in 2009
Female
49.4%
−1.1 ptssince 2009
from 50.4% in 2009
Foreign born
4.2%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 4.0% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
7.4%
−5.2 ptssince 2009
from 12.6% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
14.1%
+0.5 ptssince 2012
from 13.6% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
6.6%
−2.7 ptssince 2013
from 9.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
86.3%
+13.2 ptssince 2017
from 73.1% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
92.0%
+4.9 ptssince 2020
from 87.1% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
90.0%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 88.8% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
91.4%
−0.6 ptssince 2016
from 92.0% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
5.1%
−0.5 ptssince 2016
from 5.6% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married33.3%(4,189)
Married51.6%(6,493)
Widowed3.7%(464)
Divorced11.3%(1,426)
Women 15+
Never married25.7%(3,237)
Married49.5%(6,238)
Widowed12.4%(1,565)
Divorced12.5%(1,574)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
6.6%
−2.7 ptssince 2013
from 9.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
48.2%
−3.1 ptssince 2020
from 51.3% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
20.7%
+1.9 ptssince 2020
from 18.8% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
24.4%
+1.5 ptssince 2020
from 22.9% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
24.2%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 23.7% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
3.5%
−0.8 ptssince 2020
from 4.3% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
65.8%
−3.5 ptssince 2020
from 69.3% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
46.6%
+1.2 ptssince 2020
from 45.4% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)17.5%(310)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)9.9%(175)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era38.1%(676)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War8.7%(155)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.6%(28)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 1,772 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

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Pop 29,877
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Pop 29,802
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Head to head

Compare Freeborn County to nearby counties

FREEBORN COUNTY VS
Worth County
Income$78,008+10%
Home value$145,800−15%
Population7,338−76%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
FREEBORN COUNTY VS
Steele County
Income$84,196+19%
Home value$245,400+43%
Population37,464+23%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
FREEBORN COUNTY VS
Waseca County
Income$76,261+7%
Home value$220,800+29%
Population18,688−39%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
FREEBORN COUNTY VS
Winnebago County
Income$67,642−5%
Home value$135,000−21%
Population10,251−66%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Freeborn County, Minnesota?

Freeborn County, Minnesota has about 30,623 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Freeborn County, Minnesota?

The typical household in Freeborn County, Minnesota earns about $71,023 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Freeborn County, Minnesota expensive?

In Freeborn County, Minnesota, the median home is worth about $171,100, and the typical rent is about $849 a month.

How educated are people in Freeborn County, Minnesota?

About 18.2% of adults age 25 and over in Freeborn County, Minnesota hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Freeborn County, Minnesota?

About 10.6% of people in Freeborn County, Minnesota live below the federal poverty line.

Has Freeborn County, Minnesota grown since 1990?

Yes, Freeborn County, Minnesota has shrunk since 1990. The population has lost about 2,437 residents, a change of about -7 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →