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

The Swedish population in Big Stone County, MN totals 433 residents, according to the most recent census estimates. Of these, Ortonville and Graceville account for 198 and 21 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 Swedish population in Big Stone County

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  • 1
    Ortonville
    Swedish population in Ortonville is 198
    10.06% of Ortonville population is Swedish
  • 2
    Graceville
    Swedish population in Graceville is 21
    3.58% of Graceville population is Swedish

Overview of Swedish population in Big Stone County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data shows Big Stone County contains 433 Swedish residents (8.4% of 5,152 total county population), ranking the jurisdiction at the 66th percentile nationally among counties and 14th percentile within Minnesota for Swedish demographic concentrations across both absolute and proportional measures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show Big Stone County's Swedish population of 8.4% surpassing both Minnesota's state average of 6.7% and the national average of 1%, 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 433 Swedish residents, representing less than 1% of Minnesota's total Swedish population of 380,579.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey documents Big Stone County with 0.87 Swedish Americans per square mile, below Minnesota's average of 4.8 per square mile, placing the county among the least concentrated jurisdictions within the state.
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Big Stone County Cities by Swedish Population

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ACS [1] population records show Ortonville and Graceville account for 198 and 21 Swedish 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 Swedish population count
Rank by Swedish Population
City
Swedish Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Big Stone County Swedish Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Ortonville 198 10.06% 45.73%
2 Graceville 21 3.58% 4.85%
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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 Swedish population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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