Stearns County, Minnesota Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Stearns County is located in Minnesota with a total population of 160,865. It is the 8th most populous county out of 87 in Minnesota. The county encompasses 33 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Stearns County is 35.1 years. This is 10% lower than the state median of 38.8 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Stearns County is $77,066. This is 13% lower than the state median of $89,062. It is also 5% lower than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 12.9%. This is 39% higher than the state poverty rate of 9.3%. The unemployment rate is 4.1%. This is 1% higher than the state rate of 4.1%. The median home value is $273,400. Housing costs are 17% lower than the state median of $329,300. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.5x. 67.8% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 6% lower than the state average of 72.2%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Stearns County is White (non-Hispanic), making up 80.2% of the population. Black or African American residents account for 9.0%. The Asian population (1.9%) is well below the state average of 5.1%.

Education

28.8% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 27% 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 92.5%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Stearns 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.