Rice County, Minnesota Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Rice County is located in Minnesota with a total population of 67,917. It is the 14th most populous county out of 87 in Minnesota. The county encompasses 7 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Rice County is 37.1 years. This is 4% lower than the state median of 38.8 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Rice County is $83,181. This is 7% lower than the state median of $89,062. It is also 3% higher than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 10.2%. This is 10% higher than the state poverty rate of 9.3%. The unemployment rate is 4.5%. This is 12% higher than the state rate of 4.1%. The median home value is $320,200. Housing costs are 3% lower than the state median of $329,300. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.8x. 76.3% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 6% higher than the state average of 72.2%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Rice County is White (non-Hispanic), making up 77.2% of the population. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 10.5%. The Hispanic or Latino population is significantly higher than the state average (10.5% vs 6.4%). The Asian population (2.3%) is well below the state average of 5.1%.

Education

30.2% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 23% 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 92.7%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Rice 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.