• county
  • FIPS 27047
  • Largest town: Albert Lea

Freeborn County, Minnesota

Freeborn County had 30,314 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 707.3 square miles of land. It ranks 37th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 41st by land area.

Population
30,314
#37 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,438 in US
Area
707.3 sq mi
#41 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,303 in US
Density
43 / sq mi
#31 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,603 in US
Median household income
$66,215
#67 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,277 in US

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

Freeborn County within Minnesota. Pin: Saint Paul.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Freeborn County

Freeborn County population, land area and income

Freeborn County had 30,314 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 707.3 square miles of land. It ranks 37th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 41st by land area. That works out to 42.9 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; Freeborn County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $66,215 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

30,314

3144th1st

1438th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

707 sq mi

3144th1st

1303rd of 3,144 (US)

Density

42.9 / sq mi

3144th1st

1603rd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$66,215

3143rd1st

1277th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Minnesota (87)

Population

30,314

87th1st

37th of 87 (MN)

Land area

707 sq mi

87th1st

41st of 87 (MN)

Density

42.9 / sq mi

87th1st

31st of 87 (MN)

Median household income

$66,215

87th1st

67th of 87 (MN)

How Freeborn County's population changed since 2020

Freeborn County lost 577 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 1.9%. That ranks 74th 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, Freeborn County recorded 1,236 births and 1,713 deaths, a natural change of -477. Net international migration added +54 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -151. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 477 people.

30.9k202030.8k202130.7k202230.4k202330.3k2024
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
1,236
Deaths
1,713
Net international migration
+54
Net domestic migration
-151
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-119

Where Freeborn County is

The Census internal point of Freeborn County is at 43.674200, -93.350300. 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 Freeborn 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: Freeborn County internal point. Dark pin: Saint Paul.

Internal point

Decimal
43.674200, -93.350300
DMS
43°40'27.12"N 93°21'1.08"W
UTM
15N 471761.8E 4835747.6N
Geohash
9zv87y8ks
Plus code
86M8MJFX+MV

Towns in Freeborn County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Freeborn County, 18,159 people together, or 60% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Freeborn County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Albert Lea with 18,159.

  1. 01Albert Lea18,159
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Freeborn County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Freeborn County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Mower County, MN, with 40,900 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Saint Paul and the nearest big city

Saint Paul is 89.3 miles N of Freeborn County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Rochester, MN (population 123,624), 49.4 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Albert Lea, MN (population 18,159), 1.6 miles away.

Freeborn County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Freeborn County is 27047: state code 27 for Minnesota plus county code 047. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $66,215.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Freeborn County, Minnesota?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 30,314. That is down 577 people (1.9%) from the July 2020 estimate of 30,891.

What is the FIPS code of Freeborn County?

27047. The first two digits (27) are Minnesota; the last three (047) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Freeborn County?

Albert Lea, with 18,159 residents inside Freeborn County in 2024.

Which counties border Freeborn County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Mower County, MN; Steele County, MN; Waseca County, MN; Faribault County, MN; Winnebago County, IA; Worth County, IA.

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.