French Canadian Population in Big Stone County, MN by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The French Canadian population in Big Stone County, MN totals 54 residents, according to the most recent census estimates. Of these, Ortonville and Graceville account for 27 and 5 residents respectively, suggesting a shared urban presence. However, the remaining population appears to reside outside city boundaries, likely spread across unincorporated parts of Big Stone County or smaller incorporated cities not captured in this ranking analysis*. The analysis below explores this hybrid distribution and how it reflects broader trends across Minnesota counties.

Top 5 cities with the largest French Canadian population in Big Stone County

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  • 1
    Ortonville
    French Canadian population in Ortonville is 27
    1.37% of Ortonville population is French Canadian
  • 2
    Graceville
    French Canadian population in Graceville is 5
    0.85% of Graceville population is French Canadian

Overview of French Canadian population in Big Stone County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data shows Big Stone County contains 54 French Canadian residents (1% of 5,152 total county population), ranking the jurisdiction at the 49th percentile nationally among counties and 29th percentile within Minnesota for French Canadian demographic concentrations across both absolute and proportional measures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show Big Stone County's French Canadian population of 1% surpassing both Minnesota's state average of 0.78% and the national average of 0.51%, positioning the county as a high-concentration jurisdiction exceeding demographic benchmarks across all geographic scales.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates Big Stone County contains 54 French Canadian residents, representing less than 1% of Minnesota's total French Canadian population of 44,760.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey documents Big Stone County with 0.11 French-Canadian Americans per square mile, below Minnesota's average of 0.56 per square mile, placing the county among the least concentrated jurisdictions within the state.
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Big Stone County Cities by French Canadian Population

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ACS [1] population records show Ortonville and Graceville account for 27 and 5 French Canadian residents. The following table shows comprehensive population data, demographic percentages, density measurements, and complete comparison metrics for both cities in Big Stone County, MN.
cities in Big Stone County, MN ranked by French Canadian population count
Rank by French Canadian Population
City
French Canadian Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Big Stone County French Canadian Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Ortonville 27 1.37% 50.00%
2 Graceville 5 0.85% 9.26%
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks city in Big Stone County, MN by their French Canadian population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines French Canadian population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having French Canadian ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as French Canadian alone, while others identify as French Canadian along with another race (such as French Canadian and German).
  • We’ve used the “French Canadian alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the French Canadian population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as French Canadian alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as French Canadian .
  2. % of Total Big Stone County French Canadian Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. French Canadian population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small French Canadian populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • City that don’t have any reported French Canadian population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where French Canadian populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.