Pope County, Minnesota

MN · FIPS 27121 Republican

Located in Minnesota, Pope County has a population of 11,418 residents and a median age of 45.3 years, making it the #2,394 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 9.4%. The median home value is $255,100, and the median household income is $76,220, which is 1% above the national median.

11,418
Population
#2,394 of 3,222
$76,220
Median Income
+1.4% #766 of 3,222
45.3 years
Median Age
+16.5% #703 of 3,222
9.4%
Poverty Rate
-25.2% #671 of 3,222

Demographics

Pope County has a population of 11,418, making it the #2,394 most populous county in the US. The median age is 45.3 years, which is 16.5% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

98.9%
Native Born
1.1%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Pope County is $76,220, ranking #766 out of 3,222 counties — 1.4% above the national median. The poverty rate is 9.4% and unemployment stands at 1.3%.

Income#766
$76,220
+1.4%
vs nation
76th percentile
Per Capita#679
$41,437
+0.4%
vs nation
79th percentile
Poverty#671
9.4%
-25.2%
vs nation
79th percentile
Unemployment#131
1.3%
-76.4%
vs nation
96th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Pope County is $255,100 (-9.5% vs national). Renters pay a median of $902/mo and the homeownership rate is 83.5%.

Home Value#869
$255,100
-9.5%
vs nation
73th percentile
Rent#1,428
$902
-22.4%
vs nation
56th percentile
Homeownership#212
83.5%
+29.7%
vs nation
93th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Pope County, 23.9% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 29.1% below the national average, ranking #1,384 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
23.9% −29.1% vs nation
Rank #1,384 of 3,222
57th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Pope County is 78.1 years. 14.9% of adults report poor or fair health and 4.5% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#621
78.1
+3.9%
vs nation
80th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#508
14.9%
-23.8%
vs nation
84th percentile
Diabetes#411
8.8%
-20.9%
vs nation
87th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#394
32.3%
-13.4%
vs nation
88th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#565
5.1
-9.8%
vs nation
82th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#515
3.8
-15.2%
vs nation
84th percentile
Uninsured Rate#86
4.5%
-57.5%
vs nation
97th percentile
Physical Inactivity#472
21.1%
-20.0%
vs nation
85th percentile
Food Insecurity#263
9.8%
-32.0%
vs nation
92th percentile

Substance Use

17.4% of adults in Pope County smoke , 38.1% are obese , and 24.2% report excessive drinking.

Adult Smoking#1,436
17.4%
-3.1%
vs nation
54th percentile
Adult Obesity#1,459
38.1%
+0.5%
vs nation
54th percentile
Excessive Drinking#2,895
24.2%
+21.9%
vs nation
8th percentile

Safety

The suicide rate is 31.6 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 15.3 per 100,000.

Suicide Rate#2,368
31.6
+60.2%
vs nation
7th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#1,406
17.7
-0.9%
vs nation
43th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#1,003
15.3
-24.5%
vs nation
65th percentile

Families & Children

8.8% of children in Pope County live in poverty . The teen birth rate is 8.0 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Teen Birth Rate#257
8.0
-63.6%
vs nation
92th percentile
Child Poverty#221
8.8%
-53.7%
vs nation
93th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Pope County is 80.1%. The mean commute time is 24.1 min, which is 12.6% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
80.1% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
24.1 min −12.6% vs nation
Rank #2,124 of 3,222
34th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Pope County voted Republican with a margin of 31.7%. The vote was 33.3% Dem / 65% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 4.1 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +31.7%
33.3% 65%
Dem 7,191 votes Rep
2020 REP +27.6%
35.3% 62.9%
Dem 7,022 votes Rep
2016 REP +26.8%
33.5% 60.3%
Dem 6,294 votes Rep
2012 REP +2.6%
47.9% 50.5%
Dem 6,224 votes Rep
2008 DEM +3.7%
50.7% 47%
Dem 6,536 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Pope County, Minnesota

Pope County, Minnesota has a total population of 11,418, making it the 2,394th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Pope County is 45.3 years, which is 16.5% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Pope County is $76,220, which ranks #766 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 1.4% above the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 9.4%, lower than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 1.3%.

The median home value in Pope County is $255,100, 9.5% below the national median. Renters in Pope County pay a median gross rent of $902 per month. The homeownership rate is 83.5%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Pope County, 23.9% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 29.1% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 97.0% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 24.1 min.

Pope County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 93.7% of the population, followed by Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic or Latino (2.1%).

All data for Pope County, Minnesota comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.