• county
  • FIPS 27033
  • Largest town: Windom

Cottonwood County, Minnesota

Cottonwood County had 11,338 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 640.0 square miles of land. It ranks 64th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 47th by land area.

Population
11,338
#64 of 87 in Minnesota · #2,326 in US
Area
640.0 sq mi
#47 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,484 in US
Density
18 / sq mi
#58 of 87 in Minnesota · #2,315 in US
Median household income
$63,898
#76 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,468 in US

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

Cottonwood County within Minnesota. Pin: Saint Paul.

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Tools and pages that start from Cottonwood County

Cottonwood County population, land area and income

Cottonwood County had 11,338 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 640.0 square miles of land. It ranks 64th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 47th by land area. That works out to 17.7 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Minnesota has 22,050 residents; Cottonwood County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $63,898 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

11,338

3144th1st

2326th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

640 sq mi

3144th1st

1484th of 3,144 (US)

Density

17.7 / sq mi

3144th1st

2315th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$63,898

3143rd1st

1468th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Minnesota (87)

Population

11,338

87th1st

64th of 87 (MN)

Land area

640 sq mi

87th1st

47th of 87 (MN)

Density

17.7 / sq mi

87th1st

58th of 87 (MN)

Median household income

$63,898

87th1st

76th of 87 (MN)

How Cottonwood County's population changed since 2020

Cottonwood County lost 183 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 1.6%. That ranks 69th 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, Cottonwood County recorded 594 births and 639 deaths, a natural change of -45. Net international migration added +111 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -248. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 248 people.

11.5k202011.6k202111.4k202211.4k202311.3k2024
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
594
Deaths
639
Net international migration
+111
Net domestic migration
-248
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-79

Where Cottonwood County is

The Census internal point of Cottonwood County is at 44.010600, -95.183200. 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 Cottonwood 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: Cottonwood County internal point. Dark pin: Saint Paul.

Internal point

Decimal
44.010600, -95.183200
DMS
44°00'38.16"N 95°10'59.52"W
UTM
15N 324993.5E 4875367.3N
Geohash
9zu665csq
Plus code
86P62R68+6P

Towns in Cottonwood County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Cottonwood County, 6,741 people together, or 59% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Cottonwood County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Windom with 4,797.

  1. 01Windom4,797
  2. 02Mountain Lake1,944
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Cottonwood County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Cottonwood County. The most populous is Brown County, MN, with 25,710 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Saint Paul and the nearest big city

Saint Paul is 121.6 miles ENE of Cottonwood County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Sioux Falls, SD (population 209,289), 83.8 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Worthington, MN (population 13,754), 33.6 miles away.

Cottonwood County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Cottonwood County is 27033: state code 27 for Minnesota plus county code 033. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $63,898.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Cottonwood County, Minnesota?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 11,338. That is down 183 people (1.6%) from the July 2020 estimate of 11,521.

What is the FIPS code of Cottonwood County?

27033. The first two digits (27) are Minnesota; the last three (033) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Cottonwood County?

Windom, with 4,797 residents inside Cottonwood County in 2024.

Which counties border Cottonwood County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Brown County, MN; Nobles County, MN; Redwood County, MN; Watonwan County, MN; Jackson County, MN; Murray 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.