German Population in Rock County, MN by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The German population in Rock County, MN totals 4,048 residents, according to the most recent census estimates. Of these, Luverne and Hills account for 2,174 and 421 residents respectively, suggesting a shared urban presence. However, the remaining population appears to reside outside city boundaries, likely spread across unincorporated parts of Rock 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 German population in Rock County

View All
  • 1
    Luverne
    German population in Luverne is 2,174
    44.30% of Luverne population is German
  • 2
    Hills
    German population in Hills is 421
    50.48% of Hills population is German

Overview of German population in Rock County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document Rock County with 4,048 German residents (42% of 9,628 total county population), placing the jurisdiction at the 51st percentile nationally among counties and 26th percentile within Minnesota for German population density, with demographic concentrations among the highest nationwide.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show Rock County's German population of 42% surpassing both Minnesota's state average of 29.7% and the national average of 12.6%, 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 Rock County contains 4,048 German residents, representing less than 1% of Minnesota's total German population of 1.7 million.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey indicate Rock County's density of 8.4 German Americans per square mile remains below Minnesota's average of 21.3 per square mile, with relatively sparse community distribution compared to state demographic concentrations.
  • Need additional overviews? Extended research data available for purchase and license. ➔

Rock County Cities by German Population

View Methodology
ACS [1] population records show Luverne and Hills account for 2,174 and 421 German residents. The following table shows comprehensive population data, demographic percentages, density measurements, and complete comparison metrics for both cities in Rock County, MN.
cities in Rock County, MN ranked by German population count
Rank by German Population
City
German Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Rock County German Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Luverne 2,174 44.30% 53.71%
2 Hills 421 50.48% 10.40%
Need the complete table? Full rankings and the underlying data sets for California and other locations are available for purchase or license.

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 Rock County, MN by their German population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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