• county
  • FIPS 27147
  • Largest town: Owatonna

Steele County, Minnesota

Steele County had 37,434 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 429.6 square miles of land. It ranks 28th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 79th by land area.

Population
37,434
#28 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,253 in US
Area
429.6 sq mi
#79 of 87 in Minnesota · #2,367 in US
Density
87 / sq mi
#17 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,012 in US
Median household income
$78,500
#17 of 87 in Minnesota · #522 in US

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

Steele County within Minnesota. Pin: Saint Paul.

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Tools and pages that start from Steele County

Steele County population, land area and income

Steele County had 37,434 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 429.6 square miles of land. It ranks 28th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 79th by land area. That works out to 87.1 people per square mile, near the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Minnesota has 22,050 residents; Steele County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $78,500 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

37,434

3144th1st

1253rd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

430 sq mi

3144th1st

2367th of 3,144 (US)

Density

87.1 / sq mi

3144th1st

1012th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$78,500

3143rd1st

522nd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Minnesota (87)

Population

37,434

87th1st

28th of 87 (MN)

Land area

430 sq mi

87th1st

79th of 87 (MN)

Density

87.1 / sq mi

87th1st

17th of 87 (MN)

Median household income

$78,500

87th1st

17th of 87 (MN)

How Steele County's population changed since 2020

Steele County gained 53 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 0.1%. That ranks 49th 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, Steele County recorded 1,741 births and 1,538 deaths, a natural change of +203. Net international migration added +212 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -388. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 388 people.

37.4k202037.4k202137.5k202237.5k202337.4k2024
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
1,741
Deaths
1,538
Net international migration
+212
Net domestic migration
-388
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-42

Where Steele County is

The Census internal point of Steele County is at 44.015300, -93.220500. 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 Steele 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: Steele County internal point. Dark pin: Saint Paul.

Internal point

Decimal
44.015300, -93.220500
DMS
44°00'55.08"N 93°13'13.80"W
UTM
15N 482326.2E 4873595.8N
Geohash
9zvdqswzs
Plus code
86P82Q8H+4Q

Towns in Steele County

3 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Steele County, 29,926 people together, or 80% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Steele County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Owatonna with 26,626.

  1. 01Owatonna26,626
  2. 02Blooming Prairie1,938
  3. 03Medford1,362
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Steele County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Steele County. The most populous is Rice County, MN, with 69,025 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Saint Paul and the nearest big city

Saint Paul is 65.2 miles N of Steele County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Rochester, MN (population 123,624), 36.8 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Owatonna, MN (population 26,626), 5.3 miles away.

Steele County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Steele County is 27147: state code 27 for Minnesota plus county code 147. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $78,500.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Steele County, Minnesota?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 37,434. That is up 53 people (0.1%) from the July 2020 estimate of 37,381.

What is the FIPS code of Steele County?

27147. The first two digits (27) are Minnesota; the last three (147) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Steele County?

Owatonna, with 26,626 residents inside Steele County in 2024.

Which counties border Steele County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Rice County, MN; Mower County, MN; Freeborn County, MN; Dodge County, MN; Waseca 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.