• county
  • FIPS 27075
  • Largest town: Two Harbors

Lake County, Minnesota

Lake County had 10,698 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 2,109.1 square miles of land. It ranks 66th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 5th by land area.

Population
10,698
#66 of 87 in Minnesota · #2,365 in US
Area
2,109.1 sq mi
#5 of 87 in Minnesota · #266 in US
Density
5.1 / sq mi
#82 of 87 in Minnesota · #2,773 in US
Median household income
$71,573
#44 of 87 in Minnesota · #883 in US

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

Lake County within Minnesota. Pin: Saint Paul.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Lake County

Lake County population, land area and income

Lake County had 10,698 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 2,109.1 square miles of land. It ranks 66th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 5th by land area. That works out to 5.1 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and in the bottom quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Minnesota has 22,050 residents, so Lake County has 49% of the typical county's population.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $71,573 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

10,698

3144th1st

2365th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

2,109 sq mi

3144th1st

266th of 3,144 (US)

Density

5.1 / sq mi

3144th1st

2773rd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$71,573

3143rd1st

883rd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Minnesota (87)

Population

10,698

87th1st

66th of 87 (MN)

Land area

2,109 sq mi

87th1st

5th of 87 (MN)

Density

5.1 / sq mi

87th1st

82nd of 87 (MN)

Median household income

$71,573

87th1st

44th of 87 (MN)

How Lake County's population changed since 2020

Lake County lost 213 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 2.0%. That ranks 75th 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, Lake County recorded 340 births and 685 deaths, a natural change of -345. Net international migration added -2 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +153. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 345 people.

10.9k202011.0k202110.9k202210.9k202310.7k2024
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
340
Deaths
685
Net international migration
-2
Net domestic migration
+153
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-163

Where Lake County is

The Census internal point of Lake County is at 47.517100, -91.411700. 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 Lake 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: Lake County internal point. Dark pin: Saint Paul.

Internal point

Decimal
47.517100, -91.411700
DMS
47°31'1.56"N 91°24'42.12"W
UTM
15N 619580.1E 5263852.6N
Geohash
cbqyrfhp1
Plus code
86VCGH8Q+R8

Towns in Lake County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Lake County, 5,232 people together, or 49% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Lake County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Two Harbors with 3,456.

  1. 01Two Harbors3,456
  2. 02Silver Bay1,776
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Lake County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Lake County, including 3 across a state line. The most populous is St. Louis County, MN, with 200,794 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Saint Paul and the nearest big city

Saint Paul is 194.6 miles SSW of Lake County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is St. Paul, MN (population 307,465), 195.0 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Duluth, MN (population 87,986), 61.5 miles away.

Lake County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Lake County is 27075: state code 27 for Minnesota plus county code 075. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $71,573.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Lake County, Minnesota?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 10,698. That is down 213 people (2.0%) from the July 2020 estimate of 10,911.

What is the FIPS code of Lake County?

27075. The first two digits (27) are Minnesota; the last three (075) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Lake County?

Two Harbors, with 3,456 residents inside Lake County in 2024.

Which counties border Lake County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: St. Louis County, MN; Douglas County, WI; Bayfield County, WI; Ashland County, WI; Cook 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.