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

The Norwegian population in Big Stone County, MN totals 1,031 residents, according to the most recent census estimates. Of these, Ortonville and Graceville account for 367 and 82 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 Norwegian population in Big Stone County

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  • 1
    Ortonville
    Norwegian population in Ortonville is 367
    18.65% of Ortonville population is Norwegian
  • 2
    Graceville
    Norwegian population in Graceville is 82
    13.99% of Graceville population is Norwegian

Overview of Norwegian population in Big Stone County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document Big Stone County with 1,031 Norwegian residents (20% of 5,152 total county population), placing the jurisdiction at the 78th percentile nationally among counties and 6th percentile within Minnesota for Norwegian population density, with demographic concentrations among the highest nationwide.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show Big Stone County's Norwegian population of 20% surpassing both Minnesota's state average of 12.5% and the national average of 1.2%, 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 1,031 Norwegian residents, representing less than 1% of Minnesota's total Norwegian population of 712,756.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey documents Big Stone County with 2.1 Norwegian Americans per square mile, below Minnesota's average of 9 per square mile, placing the county among the least concentrated jurisdictions within the state.
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Big Stone County Cities by Norwegian Population

View Methodology
ACS [1] population records show Ortonville and Graceville account for 367 and 82 Norwegian 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 Norwegian population count
Rank by Norwegian Population
City
Norwegian Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Big Stone County Norwegian Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Ortonville 367 18.65% 35.60%
2 Graceville 82 13.99% 7.95%
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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 Norwegian population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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