• county
  • FIPS 27013
  • Largest town: Mankato

Blue Earth County, Minnesota

Blue Earth County had 70,700 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 747.8 square miles of land. It ranks 13th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 34th by land area.

Population
70,700
#13 of 87 in Minnesota · #781 in US
Area
747.8 sq mi
#34 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,180 in US
Density
95 / sq mi
#16 of 87 in Minnesota · #954 in US
Median household income
$67,236
#65 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,185 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Blue Earth County within Minnesota. Pin: Saint Paul.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Blue Earth County

Blue Earth County population, land area and income

Blue Earth County had 70,700 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 747.8 square miles of land. It ranks 13th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 34th by land area. That works out to 94.5 people per square mile, near the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Minnesota has 22,050 residents, so Blue Earth County is 3.2 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $67,236 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

70,700

3144th1st

781st of 3,144 (US)

Land area

748 sq mi

3144th1st

1180th of 3,144 (US)

Density

94.5 / sq mi

3144th1st

954th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$67,236

3143rd1st

1185th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Minnesota (87)

Population

70,700

87th1st

13th of 87 (MN)

Land area

748 sq mi

87th1st

34th of 87 (MN)

Density

94.5 / sq mi

87th1st

16th of 87 (MN)

Median household income

$67,236

87th1st

65th of 87 (MN)

How Blue Earth County's population changed since 2020

Blue Earth County gained 1,504 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 2.2%. That ranks 25th of 87 in Minnesota for growth. The median Minnesota county changed by +0.6%, and the state as a whole by +1.4%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Blue Earth County recorded 2,908 births and 2,327 deaths, a natural change of +581. Net international migration added +1,442 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -449. The largest single component was international migration, which added 1,442 people.

69.2k202069.4k202169.7k202270.4k202370.7k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
2,908
Deaths
2,327
Net international migration
+1,442
Net domestic migration
-449
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+304

Where Blue Earth County is

The Census internal point of Blue Earth County is at 44.033700, -94.064000. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Minnesota's 87 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Blue Earth County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Cook County: -0.5%Kanabec County: +3.4%Carlton County: +1.5%Becker County: +0.7%Dodge County: +1.7%Douglas County: +2.1%Murray County: -1.5%Pipestone County: -3.3%Rock County: -1.7%Steele County: +0.1%Waseca County: -1.4%Pennington County: -2.1%Red Lake County: -1.5%Stevens County: +1.6%Hubbard County: +3.1%Mahnomen County: -1.8%Fillmore County: +1.2%Otter Tail County: +1.4%Rice County: +2.9%Meeker County: +0.2%Nobles County: -1.1%Swift County: -1.5%Watonwan County: -0.3%Wadena County: +2.2%Polk County: -2.1%Lyon County: +0.6%St. Louis County: +0.4%Todd County: +2.6%Carver County: +5.0%Kandiyohi County: +2.2%Olmsted County: +2.1%Roseau County: -0.3%Dakota County: +2.9%Yellow Medicine County: -1.2%Crow Wing County: +3.6%Sibley County: +2.7%Morrison County: +1.5%Lac qui Parle County: -1.0%Lincoln County: -1.3%Martin County: -2.2%Clay County: +2.3%Houston County: -2.5%Wilkin County: -3.3%Nicollet County: -0.0%Norman County: -2.4%Benton County: +1.3%Anoka County: +3.4%Blue Earth County: +2.2%Traverse County: -6.7%Aitkin County: +4.0%Marshall County: -3.0%Grant County: +0.3%Wabasha County: +0.8%Lake County: -2.0%Cottonwood County: -1.6%Brown County: -0.8%Cass County: +4.2%Lake of the Woods County: +0.7%Scott County: +3.9%Isanti County: +5.5%Stearns County: +3.5%Clearwater County: +0.7%Hennepin County: -0.7%Kittson County: -4.7%Wright County: +9.0%Goodhue County: +0.8%Jackson County: -1.3%Washington County: +5.8%Chippewa County: -2.5%Freeborn County: -1.9%Koochiching County: -3.6%Big Stone County: -1.8%Redwood County: -1.1%Chisago County: +4.2%Faribault County: -0.1%Renville County: -1.6%Itasca County: +0.9%Mower County: +2.1%Sherburne County: +5.6%Mille Lacs County: +4.2%Winona County: +0.6%Ramsey County: -1.8%Pine County: +4.9%McLeod County: +0.1%Pope County: +1.5%Le Sueur County: +2.8%Beltrami County: +1.1%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.7%
  2. < -0.3%
  3. < +1.2%
  4. < +2.8%
  5. ≥ +2.8%
no data

Orange pin: Blue Earth County internal point. Dark pin: Saint Paul.

Internal point

Decimal
44.033700, -94.064000
DMS
44°02'1.32"N 94°03'50.40"W
UTM
15N 414742.9E 4876166.1N
Geohash
9zv4e80dv
Plus code
86P72WMP+FC

Towns in Blue Earth County

5 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Blue Earth County, 55,225 people together, or 78% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Blue Earth County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Mankato with 46,454.

  1. 01Mankato (part)46,454
  2. 02Eagle Lake3,333
  3. 03Lake Crystal2,485
  4. 04Mapleton1,639
  5. 05Madison Lake1,314
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Blue Earth County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Blue Earth County. The most populous is Nicollet County, MN, with 34,493 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Saint Paul and the nearest big city

Saint Paul is 79.4 miles NE of Blue Earth County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Minneapolis, MN (population 428,579), 75.2 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is North Mankato, MN (population 14,142), 10.4 miles away.

Blue Earth County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Blue Earth County is 27013: state code 27 for Minnesota plus county code 013. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $67,236.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Blue Earth County, Minnesota?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 70,700. That is up 1,504 people (2.2%) from the July 2020 estimate of 69,196.

What is the FIPS code of Blue Earth County?

27013. The first two digits (27) are Minnesota; the last three (013) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Blue Earth County?

Mankato, with 46,454 residents inside Blue Earth County in 2024 (46,459 across all 2 counties it spans).

Which counties border Blue Earth County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Nicollet County, MN; Le Sueur County, MN; Brown County, MN; Martin County, MN; Waseca County, MN; Faribault County, MN; Watonwan County, MN.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.