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COUNTY

Yellow Medicine County

Minnesota · 9,477 residents (2025 est.) · 759 sq mi
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The short version

Yellow Medicine County is home to 9,451 people in Minnesota. 84% of homes are owner-occupied. Few US counties rank higher on income. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 20% of adults. There are 12 people per square mile. The typical home is worth $154,700, having more than doubled since 2000.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 42.1
US median: 38.9
Less educated
20% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 39%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
9,451
−15%since 2000
from 11,080 in 2000
9,477 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
12 / sq mi
−6%since 2009
from 13 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
42.1
+4%since 2000
from 40.4 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
759 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
9K10K11K11K12K19902000201020202024Yellow Medicine County
20249K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.7%(535)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.4%(602)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.8%(640)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.1%(573)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245%(473)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3411.5%(1,085)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412%(1,131)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5410.9%(1,027)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6414.3%(1,350)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7412.6%(1,194)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 846.2%(585)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.7%(256)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$74,000
+18%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $34,393 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$40,068
+134%since 2000
from $17,120 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
49.6%
+26.0 ptssince 2009
from 23.6% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
8.6%
−1.9 ptssince 2000
from 10.4% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.424
+10%since 2010
from 0.386 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Agriculture, forestry, fishing12.2%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction12.1%
US avg: 1.2%
Information11.8%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade10.6%
US avg: 9.9%
Wholesale trade7.9%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance6.2%
US avg: 5.9%
Other services5.4%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration4.6%
US avg: 4.8%
Professional, scientific, technical4.4%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing3.3%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services1.9%
US avg: 0.9%
Arts, entertainment, food1%
US avg: 1.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$154,700
+39%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $60,900 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$678
+4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $357 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
84.0%
+4.5 ptssince 2000
from 79.5% in 2000
16.0% rent
Vacancy rate
9.3%
−1.6 ptssince 2009
from 10.9% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.27 people
+1%since 2009
from 2.24 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
18.1%
+1.1 ptssince 2009
from 17.0% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
24.1%
−9.7 ptssince 2009
from 33.9% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.1
+8%since 2009
from 1.9 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
25
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic95.4%(10,569)
Black0.1%(9)
Hispanic / Latino1.8%(195)
Asian0.2%(18)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic87%(8,222)
Black0.8%(79)
Hispanic / Latino5.5%(517)
Asian0.1%(12)
Other6.6%(621)
Diversity Score
29
+91%since 2009
from 15 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
27
−1%since 2020
from 28 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
Mexican2.7%(256)
Honduran1.9%(184)
Puerto Rican0.2%(23)
Chilean0.2%(15)
Guatemalan0.1%(8)
Venezuelan0.1%(7)
Asian origin
Chinese0.1%(7)
Hmong0.1%(5)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0.1%(5)
Ancestry
German38%(3,590)
Norwegian27.4%(2,587)
Irish6.3%(596)
English4.6%(432)
Swedish4.3%(408)
American3%(286)
Belgian2.8%(262)
Polish2.4%(227)
Dutch1.7%(164)
French1.7%(164)
Danish1.4%(134)
Czech1.2%(110)
+ 24 more ancestry groups with data
Italian1%(96)
Scotch-Irish0.4%(38)
Scottish0.3%(28)
Welsh0.2%(20)
Russian0.2%(19)
Swiss0.1%(14)
Ukrainian0.1%(13)
Somali0.1%(12)
Hungarian0.1%(11)
British0.1%(10)
Arab0.1%(8)
Greek0.1%(6)
Finnish0.1%(5)
Slovak0%(4)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
19.7%
+5.3 ptssince 2000
from 14.4% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
92.8%
+10.9 ptssince 2000
from 81.9% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
5.1%
+1.2 ptssince 2000
from 3.9% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
21.1 min
+78%since 2000
from 11.8 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
78.8%
+4.6 ptssince 2009
from 74.3% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
6.9%
−4.0 ptssince 2009
from 10.9% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.6%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 0.1% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
9.0%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 8.2% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
3.8%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 5.2% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.2%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 0.9% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
4.6%
−1.8 ptssince 2009
from 6.4% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.5%
−0.7 ptssince 2011
from 4.2% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
64.6%
−1.6 ptssince 2011
from 66.2% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
78.2%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 77.2% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
12.6%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 12.3% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
36.2%
+3.8 ptssince 2009
from 32.4% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.9%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 50.3% in 2009
Female
49.1%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 49.7% in 2009
Foreign born
2.5%
+1.3 ptssince 2009
from 1.2% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
7.6%
−4.8 ptssince 2009
from 12.4% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
13.9%
+1.0 ptssince 2012
from 12.9% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
3.9%
−6.7 ptssince 2013
from 10.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
85.6%
+12.7 ptssince 2017
from 72.9% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
92.2%
+3.4 ptssince 2020
from 88.8% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
91.5%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 90.8% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
95.2%
−0.8 ptssince 2016
from 95.9% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
3.8%
+1.5 ptssince 2016
from 2.3% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married30%(1,188)
Married56.7%(2,250)
Widowed3%(118)
Divorced10.3%(410)
Women 15+
Never married19.4%(720)
Married61.3%(2,274)
Widowed9.6%(355)
Divorced9.7%(359)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
3.9%
−6.7 ptssince 2013
from 10.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
50.0%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 50.3% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
23.4%
+1.8 ptssince 2020
from 21.6% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
22.9%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 22.2% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
22.3%
−0.8 ptssince 2020
from 23.1% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
3.5%
+0.2 ptssince 2020
from 3.3% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
71.6%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 70.8% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
43.5%
+0.6 ptssince 2020
from 42.9% 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)20.9%(116)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)14.6%(81)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era36.5%(202)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War9.6%(53)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.2%(1)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 554 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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Head to head

Compare Yellow Medicine County to nearby counties

YELLOW MEDICINE COUNTY VS
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YELLOW MEDICINE COUNTY VS
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YELLOW MEDICINE COUNTY VS
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YELLOW MEDICINE COUNTY VS
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Income$69,694−6%
Home value$164,400+6%
Population5,583−41%
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Frequently asked

How many people live in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota?

Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota has about 9,451 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota?

The typical household in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota earns about $74,000 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota expensive?

In Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota, the median home is worth about $154,700, and the typical rent is about $678 a month.

How educated are people in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota?

About 19.7% of adults age 25 and over in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota?

About 8.6% of people in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota live below the federal poverty line.

Has Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota grown since 1990?

Yes, Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota has shrunk since 1990. The population has lost about 2,233 residents, a change of about -19 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 →