• county
  • FIPS 27113
  • Largest town: Thief River Falls

Pennington County, Minnesota

Pennington County had 13,652 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 616.5 square miles of land. It ranks 60th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 50th by land area.

Population
13,652
#60 of 87 in Minnesota · #2,179 in US
Area
616.5 sq mi
#50 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,570 in US
Density
22 / sq mi
#51 of 87 in Minnesota · #2,163 in US
Median household income
$73,104
#34 of 87 in Minnesota · #783 in US

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

Pennington County within Minnesota. Pin: Saint Paul.

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Tools and pages that start from Pennington County

Pennington County population, land area and income

Pennington County had 13,652 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 616.5 square miles of land. It ranks 60th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 50th by land area. That works out to 22.1 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; Pennington County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $73,104 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

13,652

3144th1st

2179th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

617 sq mi

3144th1st

1570th of 3,144 (US)

Density

22.1 / sq mi

3144th1st

2163rd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$73,104

3143rd1st

783rd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Minnesota (87)

Population

13,652

87th1st

60th of 87 (MN)

Land area

617 sq mi

87th1st

50th of 87 (MN)

Density

22.1 / sq mi

87th1st

51st of 87 (MN)

Median household income

$73,104

87th1st

34th of 87 (MN)

How Pennington County's population changed since 2020

Pennington County lost 298 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 2.1%. That ranks 76th 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, Pennington County recorded 622 births and 686 deaths, a natural change of -64. Net international migration added +54 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -324. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 324 people.

14.0k202013.8k202113.8k202213.7k202313.7k2024
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
622
Deaths
686
Net international migration
+54
Net domestic migration
-324
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-80

Where Pennington County is

The Census internal point of Pennington County is at 48.069200, -96.037700. It sits in UTM zone 14N. The map shades Minnesota's 87 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Pennington 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: Pennington County internal point. Dark pin: Saint Paul.

Internal point

Decimal
48.069200, -96.037700
DMS
48°04'9.12"N 96°02'15.72"W
UTM
14N 720668.2E 5328237.2N
Geohash
cbe9qwerr
Plus code
86W53X96+MW

Towns in Pennington County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Pennington County, 8,779 people together, or 64% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Pennington County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Thief River Falls with 8,779.

  1. 01Thief River Falls8,779
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Pennington County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Pennington County. The most populous is Beltrami County, MN, with 46,762 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Saint Paul and the nearest big city

Saint Paul is 256.4 miles SE of Pennington County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Fargo, ND (population 136,285), 91.0 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Grand Forks, ND (population 59,845), 49.6 miles away.

Pennington County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Pennington County is 27113: state code 27 for Minnesota plus county code 113. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $73,104.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Pennington County, Minnesota?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 13,652. That is down 298 people (2.1%) from the July 2020 estimate of 13,950.

What is the FIPS code of Pennington County?

27113. The first two digits (27) are Minnesota; the last three (113) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Pennington County?

Thief River Falls, with 8,779 residents inside Pennington County in 2024.

Which counties border Pennington County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Beltrami County, MN; Polk County, MN; Marshall County, MN; Clearwater County, MN; Red Lake 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.