Pennington County, Minnesota Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Pennington County is located in Minnesota with a total population of 13,791. It is the 60th most populous county out of 87 in Minnesota. The county encompasses 3 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Pennington County is 39.6 years. This is 2% higher than the state median of 38.8 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Pennington County is $77,325. This is 13% lower than the state median of $89,062. It is also 4% lower than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 10.5%. This is 12% higher than the state poverty rate of 9.3%. The unemployment rate is 2.9%. This is 29% lower than the state rate of 4.1%. The median home value is $195,500. Housing costs are 41% lower than the state median of $329,300. With a home-value-to-income ratio of just 2.5x, Pennington County is one of the most affordable housing markets in the area. 72.2% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied.

Race & Ethnicity

Pennington County has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 87.8% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 4.9%. The Black or African American population (0.6%) is well below the state average of 7.0%. The Asian population (1.5%) is well below the state average of 5.1%.

Education

21.0% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 47% 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 94.8%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Pennington 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.