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

The French population in Big Stone County, MN totals 76 residents, according to the most recent census estimates. Of these, Ortonville and Graceville account for 30 and 12 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 population in Big Stone County

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  • 1
    Ortonville
    French population in Ortonville is 30
    1.52% of Ortonville population is French
  • 2
    Graceville
    French population in Graceville is 12
    2.05% of Graceville population is French

Overview of French population in Big Stone County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data shows Big Stone County contains 76 French residents (1.5% of 5,152 total county population), ranking the jurisdiction at the 14th percentile nationally among counties and 0th percentile within Minnesota for French demographic concentrations across both absolute and proportional measures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS data indicate Big Stone County's French population of 1.5% remains below Minnesota's state average of 2.7% and the national average of 2%, placing the county below demographic benchmarks across multiple geographic scales.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates Big Stone County contains 76 French residents, representing less than 1% of Minnesota's total French population of 154,798.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey show Big Stone County maintains fewer than 0.15 French Americans per square mile, compared to Minnesota's average of 1.9 per square mile, placing the county among jurisdictions with minimal demographic representation within the state.
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Big Stone County Cities by French Population

View Methodology
ACS [1] population records show Ortonville and Graceville account for 30 and 12 French 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 population count
Rank by French Population
City
French Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Big Stone County French Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Ortonville 30 1.52% 39.47%
2 Graceville 12 2.05% 15.79%
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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 population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines French 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 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 alone, while others identify as French along with another race (such as French and German).
  • We’ve used the “French alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the French population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as French 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 .
  2. % of Total Big Stone County French Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. French 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 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 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 populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

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