• county
  • FIPS 27055
  • Largest town: La Crescent

Houston County, Minnesota

Houston County had 18,352 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 552.1 square miles of land. It ranks 51st of 87 in Minnesota by population and 61st by land area.

Population
18,352
#51 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,913 in US
Area
552.1 sq mi
#61 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,890 in US
Density
33 / sq mi
#37 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,834 in US
Median household income
$77,043
#19 of 87 in Minnesota · #579 in US

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

Houston County within Minnesota. Pin: Saint Paul.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Houston County

Houston County population, land area and income

Houston County had 18,352 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 552.1 square miles of land. It ranks 51st of 87 in Minnesota by population and 61st by land area. That works out to 33.2 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; Houston County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $77,043 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

18,352

3144th1st

1913th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

552 sq mi

3144th1st

1890th of 3,144 (US)

Density

33.2 / sq mi

3144th1st

1834th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$77,043

3143rd1st

579th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Minnesota (87)

Population

18,352

87th1st

51st of 87 (MN)

Land area

552 sq mi

87th1st

61st of 87 (MN)

Density

33.2 / sq mi

87th1st

37th of 87 (MN)

Median household income

$77,043

87th1st

19th of 87 (MN)

How Houston County's population changed since 2020

Houston County lost 471 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 2.5%. That ranks 81st 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, Houston County recorded 525 births and 953 deaths, a natural change of -428. Net international migration added +16 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -52. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 428 people.

18.8k202018.8k202118.7k202218.6k202318.4k2024
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
525
Deaths
953
Net international migration
+16
Net domestic migration
-52
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-225

Where Houston County is

The Census internal point of Houston County is at 43.667000, -91.501600. 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 Houston 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: Houston County internal point. Dark pin: Saint Paul.

Internal point

Decimal
43.667000, -91.501600
DMS
43°40'1.20"N 91°30'5.76"W
UTM
15N 620803.4E 4835979.2N
Geohash
9zybmv6dd
Plus code
86MCMF8X+R9

Towns in Houston County

3 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Houston County, 9,152 people together, or 50% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Houston County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is La Crescent with 5,183.

  1. 01La Crescent (part)5,183
  2. 02Caledonia2,767
  3. 03Spring Grove1,202
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Houston County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Houston County, including 4 across a state line. The most populous is La Crosse County, WI, with 121,060 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Saint Paul and the nearest big city

Saint Paul is 119.1 miles NW of Houston County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Rochester, MN (population 123,624), 54.3 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is La Crosse, WI (population 51,049), 17.6 miles away.

Houston County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Houston County is 27055: state code 27 for Minnesota plus county code 055. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $77,043.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Houston County, Minnesota?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 18,352. That is down 471 people (2.5%) from the July 2020 estimate of 18,823.

What is the FIPS code of Houston County?

27055. The first two digits (27) are Minnesota; the last three (055) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Houston County?

La Crescent, with 5,183 residents inside Houston County in 2024 (5,257 across all 2 counties it spans).

Which counties border Houston County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: La Crosse County, WI; Winona County, MN; Vernon County, WI; Fillmore County, MN; Winneshiek County, IA; Allamakee 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.