Nicollet County, Minnesota Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Nicollet County is located in Minnesota with a total population of 34,411. It is the 32nd most populous county out of 87 in Minnesota. The county encompasses 4 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Nicollet County is 38.3 years. This is 1% lower than the state median of 38.8 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Nicollet County is $79,756. This is 10% lower than the state median of $89,062. It is also 1% lower than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 8.0%. This is 14% lower than the state poverty rate of 9.3%. The unemployment rate is 2.2%. This is 47% lower than the state rate of 4.1%. The median home value is $270,300. Housing costs are 18% lower than the state median of $329,300. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.4x. 72.2% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied.

Race & Ethnicity

Nicollet County has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 85.5% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 5.4%. The Asian population (1.6%) is well below the state average of 5.1%.

Education

36.1% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 8% lower than the state rate of 39.4%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 94.5%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Nicollet County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates, with comparisons drawn against Minnesota and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.