• county
  • FIPS 27121
  • Largest town: Glenwood

Pope County, Minnesota

Pope County had 11,495 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 674.6 square miles of land. It ranks 63rd of 87 in Minnesota by population and 44th by land area.

Population
11,495
#63 of 87 in Minnesota · #2,319 in US
Area
674.6 sq mi
#44 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,398 in US
Density
17 / sq mi
#61 of 87 in Minnesota · #2,333 in US
Median household income
$64,480
#74 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,415 in US

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

Pope County within Minnesota. Pin: Saint Paul.

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Tools and pages that start from Pope County

Pope County population, land area and income

Pope County had 11,495 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 674.6 square miles of land. It ranks 63rd of 87 in Minnesota by population and 44th by land area. That works out to 17.0 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; Pope County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $64,480 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

11,495

3144th1st

2319th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

675 sq mi

3144th1st

1398th of 3,144 (US)

Density

17.0 / sq mi

3144th1st

2333rd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$64,480

3143rd1st

1415th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Minnesota (87)

Population

11,495

87th1st

63rd of 87 (MN)

Land area

675 sq mi

87th1st

44th of 87 (MN)

Density

17.0 / sq mi

87th1st

61st of 87 (MN)

Median household income

$64,480

87th1st

74th of 87 (MN)

How Pope County's population changed since 2020

Pope County gained 165 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 1.5%. That ranks 33rd 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, Pope County recorded 533 births and 604 deaths, a natural change of -71. Net international migration added +41 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +220. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 220 people.

11.3k202011.4k202111.4k202211.4k202311.5k2024
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
533
Deaths
604
Net international migration
+41
Net domestic migration
+220
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+76

Where Pope County is

The Census internal point of Pope County is at 45.589600, -95.446700. 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 Pope 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: Pope County internal point. Dark pin: Saint Paul.

Internal point

Decimal
45.589600, -95.446700
DMS
45°35'22.56"N 95°26'48.12"W
UTM
15N 309151.7E 5051362.6N
Geohash
cbh5k53fd
Plus code
86Q6HHQ3+R8

Towns in Pope County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Pope County, 4,076 people together, or 35% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Pope County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Glenwood with 2,657.

  1. 01Glenwood2,657
  2. 02Starbuck1,419
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Pope County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Pope County. The most populous is Stearns County, MN, with 163,997 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Saint Paul and the nearest big city

Saint Paul is 122.1 miles ESE of Pope County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Fargo, ND (population 136,285), 110.1 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Alexandria, MN (population 14,914), 20.1 miles away.

Pope County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Pope County is 27121: state code 27 for Minnesota plus county code 121. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $64,480.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Pope County, Minnesota?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 11,495. That is up 165 people (1.5%) from the July 2020 estimate of 11,330.

What is the FIPS code of Pope County?

27121. The first two digits (27) are Minnesota; the last three (121) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Pope County?

Glenwood, with 2,657 residents inside Pope County in 2024.

Which counties border Pope County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Stearns County, MN; Kandiyohi County, MN; Douglas County, MN; Stevens County, MN; Swift County, MN; Grant 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.