Douglas County, Minnesota

County in MN, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

39,575

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

44.5

years ∙ half population younger than 44.5, half older

Diversity Index

12.1%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

1.5%

foreign-born population

98.5%Native

1.5% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Douglas County is a county in Minnesota, United States.

Location

County in MN, US

Co-ordinates

DEC45.936835° N, 95.462155° W

DMS45° 56′ 12.61″ N, 95° 27′ 43.76″ W

Population Density & area

62.14/sq mi (23.99/km²)

Total Area

720.2 sq mi (1,865.2 km²)

Land Area

636.9 sq mi (1,649.5 km²) · 88.4%

Water Area

83.3 sq mi (215.7 km²) · 11.6%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

50.4% male

Male 50.4%

Female 49.6%

males per 100 females

Douglas County 101.4

Minnesota 100.4

United States 98

Nativity

1.5%

foreign-born population

98.5%Native

1.5% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Douglas County 1.5%

Minnesota 8.7%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

44.5

years ∙ half population younger than 44.5, half older

Douglas County

44.5

Minnesota

38.8

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

84.5

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Douglas County 84.5

Minnesota 67.1

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Douglas County	Minnesota	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	21.4%	22.9%	22%
Working age (18-64)	54.2%	59.8%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	24.4%	17.3%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	84.5	67.1	64.4
Child dependency ratio	39.5	38.2	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	45	28.9	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

93.7%

Black

0.5%

Asian

0.5%

Hispanic

2.3%

Other

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

12.1%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Douglas County 12.1%

Minnesota 41%

United States 61.4%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Douglas County population

	Douglas County	Minnesota	United States
Hispanic or Latino	2.3%	6.4%	19.3%
Mexican	1.9%	3.9%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0.1%	0.3%	1.8%
Cuban	0%	0.1%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	0.3%	2%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	97.7%	93.6%	80.7%
One race	95.5%	89.1%	76.4%
White	93.7%	75.9%	57.4%
Black or African American	0.5%	6.9%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.2%	0.7%	0.5%
Asian	0.5%	5.1%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0.2%	0%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0.3%	0.5%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	2.2%	4.5%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

63.4% family

Family 63.4%

Non family 36.6%

% family households

Douglas County 63.4%

Minnesota 62.3%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.22

persons per household

Douglas County

2.22

Minnesota

2.43

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Douglas County population

	Douglas County	Minnesota	United States
Total households	17,519	2,307,955	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.22	2.43	2.53
Family households	11,100	1,438,404	82,990,528
Average family size	2.76	3.04	3.14
Married couple family	9,183	1,129,003	60,637,388
Other families	1,917	309,401	22,353,140
Male householder	566	102,922	6,572,819
Female householder	1,351	206,479	15,780,321
Non-family households	6,419	869,551	46,236,968
One-person households	5,372	686,475	37,140,836
Male householder	2,636	320,418	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	894	97,557	5,225,110
Female householder	2,736	366,057	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	1,637	186,557	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	1,047	183,076	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

22,332

housing units

Douglas County 22,332

Minnesota 2,545,030

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

78.4% occupied

Occupied 78.4%

Vacant 21.6%

vacancy rate

Douglas County 21.6%

Minnesota 9.3%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

80.7%

Single family houses

80.7%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

15.2%

Mobile homes

Boat, RV, van, etc

0.1%

Median Year Built

1984

Half of houses were built before 1984, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

12.1%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

15.9%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

39.9%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

32.1%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Douglas County	Minnesota	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	6.4	6.1	5.5
1–3 rooms	9.9%	14.9%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	40.8%	41.4%	51.6%
7+ rooms	49.2%	43.7%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	1.1%	2.7%	2.9%
1 bedroom	7.8%	11.4%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	23.6%	24.5%	25%
3 bedrooms	33.3%	32.2%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	34.2%	29.1%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1984	1979	1981
Total housing units	22,332	2,545,030	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

76.5% owners

Renter-occupied 23.5%

Owner-occupied 76.5%

homeownership rate

Douglas County 76.5%

Minnesota 72.2%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.38

Owner-occupied

1.68

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Douglas County 2.38

Minnesota 2.59

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Douglas County	Minnesota	United States
Total occupied units	17,519	2,307,955	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	20%	23.8%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	43.5%	38.9%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	16.5%	16.1%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	20%	21.2%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	99.1%	97.7%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	0.6%	1.5%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0.3%	0.8%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	5%	6.7%	8.4%
1 vehicle	28.3%	30.8%	33.1%
2 vehicles	40.2%	39.5%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	26.5%	23.1%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	68.7%	75.9%	51.4%
Electricity	24.4%	19.4%	41.3%
Solar	0%	0.1%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	2.3%	1.3%	3.9%
All other fuels	3.9%	2.5%	2%
No fuel used	0.8%	0.9%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.7%	0.4%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0.7%	0.7%	0.8%
No telephone service available	0.7%	0.7%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$321,400

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Douglas County

$321,400

Minnesota

$329,300

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

25.6%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

25.6%

Owners without a mortgage

13%

Renters

43%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Douglas County	Minnesota	United States
Property value
Median Value	$321,400	$329,300	$332,700
Under $100,000	6.4%	7.7%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	16.1%	13.3%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	23.5%	22.6%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	34.2%	36.9%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	17.1%	17%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	2.7%	2.6%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	61%	64%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	39%	36%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,733	$1,947	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$648	$698	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$927	$1,280	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

29.7%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Douglas County 29.7%

Minnesota 39.4%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Douglas County 4%

Minnesota 6.1%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

8,084

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

7.7%

K–12

76.9%

College / Undergraduate

11.4%

Graduate / Professional

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

29.3%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Douglas County

29.3%

Minnesota

39.1%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Douglas County	Minnesota	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	8,084	1,385,086	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	7.7%	6.2%	5.7%
K–12	76.9%	69.9%	67.6%
Kindergarten	6%	5.2%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	21.8%	20.6%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	22.8%	21.7%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	26.3%	22.4%	21.7%
College or graduate school	15.4%	23.9%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	11.4%	18.8%	21%
Graduate, professional school	4%	5.1%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	29.3%	39.1%	40.9%
School type
Public school	85.3%	83.3%	82%
Private school	14.7%	16.7%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

28,410

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

1.2%

9th-12th, no diploma

2.8%

HS graduate

29.1%

Some college no degree

19.2%

Associates degree

18%

Bachelors degree

20.1%

Graduate or professional degree

9.6%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

55.8% · 44.2%

9th-12th, no diploma

58% · 42%

HS graduate

53.8% · 46.2%

Some college no degree

46.6% · 53.4%

Associates degree

46.6% · 53.4%

Bachelors degree

48.3% · 51.7%

Graduate or professional degree

50.3% · 49.7%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Douglas County	Minnesota	United States
Population (25+)	28,410	3,923,744	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	1.2%	2.7%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	2.8%	3.4%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	29.1%	23.3%	26%
Some college, no degree	19.2%	19.5%	19.1%
Associate's degree	18%	11.8%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	29.7%	39.4%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	20.1%	25.6%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	9.6%	13.8%	14.1%
High School or higher	96%	93.9%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$51,285

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$32,895

HS graduate

$40,282

Some college or associates

$47,898

Bachelors degree

$64,942

Graduate or professional degree

$83,672

Poverty Rate

3.3%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

19.3%

HS graduate

12.5%

Some college or associates

8.2%

Bachelors degree or higher

3.3%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Douglas County	Minnesota	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$51,285	$58,615	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$32,895	$36,257	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$40,282	$42,951	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$47,898	$51,845	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$64,942	$73,301	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$83,672	$89,644	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	19.3%	23.7%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	12.5%	12.3%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	8.2%	7.8%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	3.3%	3.2%	4.5%

Insights for Douglas County, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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