CensusEasy
CensusEasy
COUNTY

Mille Lacs County

Minnesota · 27,753 residents (2025 est.) · 572 sq mi
Time machine
COMPARE TO
Part of the Minneapolis metro area
Compare
The short version

Mille Lacs County is home to 27,125 people in Minnesota. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 18% of adults. Few US counties rank higher on income. 78% of homes are owner-occupied. The foreign-born share is 1%. 4,795 more people live here than in 2000.

At a glance
Lower income
median household income $72,729, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 41.2
US median: 38.9
Less educated
18% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 51%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place

What stands out about Mille Lacs County

What changed most since 1990

  • White share96.0% → 88.0% (−8.0 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
  • Median home value (2024 dollars)$122,884 → $258,300 (+110%)US over the same years: +67%
  • Adults with a bachelor's degree9.4% → 18.2% (+8.8 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts

Among the 87 counties in Minnesota

  • 50th in household income$72,729
  • 79th in share with a bachelor's degree18.2%
  • 30th in home value$258,300
  • 49th in diversity score27.3
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
27,125
+21%since 2000
from 22,330 in 2000
27,753 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
47 / sq mi
+21%since 2000
from 39 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
41.2
+8%since 2000
from 38.0 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
572 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
18K20K23K25K28K19902000201020202024Mille Lacs County
202427K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.7%(1,534)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.5%(1,751)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.8%(1,848)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.2%(1,685)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.2%(1,399)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3411.4%(3,087)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4413%(3,530)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.8%(3,193)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6415%(4,062)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410.9%(2,951)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.6%(1,507)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.1%(578)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$72,729
+8%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $36,977 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$36,173
+105%since 2000
from $17,656 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
48.9%
+25.0 ptssince 2009
from 23.8% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
10.4%
+0.8 ptssince 2000
from 9.6% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.416
+5%since 2010
from 0.395 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade15.7%
US avg: 9.9%
Wholesale trade12.5%
US avg: 6.9%
Information10.8%
US avg: 10.8%
Finance & insurance5.4%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical4.1%
US avg: 5.1%
Other services3.1%
US avg: 6.7%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing2.9%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction2.7%
US avg: 1.2%
Transportation & warehousing2.4%
US avg: 2.2%
Public administration2.3%
US avg: 4.8%
Education & health services1.3%
US avg: 0.9%
Arts, entertainment, food0.8%
US avg: 1.9%
Manufacturing0.3%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$258,300
+51%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $94,000 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$903
+21%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $409 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
77.9%
−2.2 ptssince 2000
from 80.1% in 2000
22.1% rent
Vacancy rate
18.3%
+1.8 ptssince 2009
from 16.6% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.50 people
Unchangedsince 2009
from 2.50 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
23.5%
−12.1 ptssince 2009
from 35.6% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
37.4%
−8.0 ptssince 2009
from 45.4% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.6
−6%since 2009
from 3.8 in 2009
1990 – 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
40
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic93%(20,760)
Black0.3%(59)
Hispanic / Latino1%(214)
Asian0.2%(45)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic88%(23,861)
Black0.4%(120)
Hispanic / Latino2.3%(625)
Asian0.9%(257)
Other8.3%(2,262)
Diversity Score
27
+44%since 2009
from 19 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
33
−14%since 2020
from 38 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
Mexican1.8%(476)
Spaniard0.1%(27)
Colombian0.1%(20)
Panamanian0.1%(19)
Cuban0.1%(16)
Chilean0%(2)
+ 1 more hispanic origin group with data
Asian origin
Hmong0.5%(133)
Asian Indian0.2%(57)
Vietnamese0.1%(21)
Chinese0%(12)
Korean0%(6)
Thai0%(3)
Pacific Islander origin
Ancestry
German32%(8,677)
Norwegian12.1%(3,272)
Swedish10.6%(2,880)
Irish9.5%(2,581)
American8.2%(2,213)
English5.6%(1,522)
Polish3.5%(941)
Dutch3.1%(854)
French2.6%(709)
Italian1.4%(387)
Finnish1.2%(337)
Danish1.1%(291)
+ 27 more ancestry groups with data
Czech1%(273)
Scottish0.9%(251)
Russian0.6%(159)
Scotch-Irish0.6%(157)
Welsh0.4%(109)
Hungarian0.4%(95)
Swiss0.2%(56)
Ukrainian0.2%(56)
Austrian0.2%(52)
Lithuanian0.1%(36)
British0.1%(33)
Portuguese0.1%(33)
Croatian0.1%(23)
Latvian0.1%(19)
Greek0.1%(14)
Slovene0%(13)
Slovak0%(8)
Arab0%(7)
Syrian0%(7)
Belgian0%(7)
Serbian0%(4)
Somali0%(3)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
18.2%
+6.0 ptssince 2000
from 12.2% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
91.6%
+10.3 ptssince 2000
from 81.3% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
5.4%
+1.5 ptssince 2000
from 3.9% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
32.0 min
+52%since 2000
from 21.0 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
76.4%
−1.7 ptssince 2009
from 78.1% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
9.9%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 10.8% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.4%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
10.2%
+4.8 ptssince 2009
from 5.4% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.1%
−1.7 ptssince 2009
from 3.8% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.1%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 0.5% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
5.5%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 5.3% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.0%
−6.2 ptssince 2011
from 10.2% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
64.3%
−2.6 ptssince 2011
from 66.9% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
77.4%
−0.5 ptssince 2020
from 77.9% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
14.4%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 15.2% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
29.5%
+4.0 ptssince 2009
from 25.5% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.9%
+1.5 ptssince 2009
from 49.5% in 2009
Female
49.1%
−1.5 ptssince 2009
from 50.5% in 2009
Foreign born
1.4%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 1.3% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
7.9%
−5.2 ptssince 2009
from 13.1% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
15.7%
+2.1 ptssince 2012
from 13.6% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
4.9%
−5.3 ptssince 2013
from 10.2% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
87.4%
+15.9 ptssince 2017
from 71.5% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
93.4%
+3.6 ptssince 2020
from 89.8% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
88.4%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 87.5% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
96.5%
−0.4 ptssince 2016
from 96.9% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
1.3%
+0.3 ptssince 2016
from 0.9% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married33.5%(3,736)
Married50.8%(5,673)
Widowed3.3%(366)
Divorced12.5%(1,393)
Women 15+
Never married24.5%(2,654)
Married53.7%(5,815)
Widowed8.5%(921)
Divorced13.2%(1,434)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
4.9%
−5.3 ptssince 2013
from 10.2% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
52.4%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 51.9% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
16.5%
+0.3 ptssince 2020
from 16.2% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
19.8%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 19.8% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
27.4%
+1.2 ptssince 2020
from 26.2% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
4.2%
−0.8 ptssince 2020
from 5.0% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
67.9%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 66.8% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
45.2%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 44.2% 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)18.4%(302)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)19.6%(321)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era36.6%(600)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4.1%(67)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.5%(24)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 1,638 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
Over time

Mille Lacs County, decade by decade

Mille Lacs County population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
YearPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueBachelor's degree+Diversity score
199018,670$54,455$122,8849.4%9.7
200022,330$67,359$171,23612.2%16.6
201026,097$65,128$241,10414.8%22.3
202026,459$69,296$206,65316.0%28.6
202427,125$72,729$258,30018.2%27.3

Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.

Drill deeper

Places similar to Mille Lacs County

Jerome County
Pop 26,362
Cassia County
Pop 26,397
Morgan County
Pop 30,306
Peach County
Pop 29,877
Places similar to Mille Lacs County
Head to head

Compare Mille Lacs County to nearby counties

MILLE LACS COUNTY VS
Kanabec County
Income$71,460−2%
Home value$228,100−12%
Population16,628−40%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MILLE LACS COUNTY VS
Benton County
Income$74,410+2%
Home value$271,000+5%
Population41,744+50%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MILLE LACS COUNTY VS
Isanti County
Income$87,440+20%
Home value$306,200+19%
Population44,386+60%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MILLE LACS COUNTY VS
Morrison County
Income$69,446−5%
Home value$248,500−4%
Population34,620+25%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota?

Mille Lacs County, Minnesota has about 27,125 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota?

The typical household in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota earns about $72,729 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Mille Lacs County, Minnesota expensive?

In Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, the median home is worth about $258,300, and the typical rent is about $903 a month.

How educated are people in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota?

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

What is the poverty rate in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota?

About 10.4% of people in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota live below the federal poverty line.

Has Mille Lacs County, Minnesota grown since 1990?

Yes, Mille Lacs County, Minnesota has grown since 1990. The population has added about 8,455 residents, a change of about 45 percent over that period.

Keep going

Explore from here

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

How we source and harmonize this data →