Township · Minnesota

Cotton Township, Minnesota

Cotton Township, township, in St. Louis County, Minnesota. Cotton Township had 453 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 0.4% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 460 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 356 (±64). GEOID 2713713528.

Residents, July 2025 estimate

453

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 460 · ACS 2020-2024: 356 ±64

Median household income

$72,917

±$18,204 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $89,062

Median home value

$238,500

±$35,116 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $329,300

Median gross rent

not published


Minnesota: $1,280

Where is Cotton Township and what county is it in?

Cotton Township is a township in St. Louis County, Minnesota. It covers 69.1 square miles of land, 7 residents per square mile in 2020.

Cotton Township is in the Duluth, MN-WI metropolitan statistical area, which takes in 3 counties (Census Bureau delineation, July 2023).

Cotton Township (marked with a dot) in St. Louis County, Minnesota. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files

How many people live in Cotton Township, and is it growing?

The Census Bureau estimates that 453 people lived in Cotton Township on July 1, 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, while Minnesota grew 2.2%. The 2020 Census counted 460 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 356 (±64).

  • July 2020→2021 −2 (453)
  • 2021→2022 +0 (453)
  • 2022→2023 +1 (454)
  • 2023→2024 +0 (454)
  • 2024→2025 −1 (453)
ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (counts) with the change from 2015-2019
MeasureCotton TownshipSt. Louis CountyMinnesotaChange since 2015-2019
Total population356±64200,1235,739,445no clear change
Households183±3887,1152,307,955no clear change
Average household size1.92±0.312.202.43no clear change
Housing units433±79104,2632,545,030no clear change

Cotton Township's population since 2000

From 506 in 2000 to 453 in 2025: down 10.5%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Cotton Township as it was drawn that year: a place that annexed land, or a community that has since incorporated, covered a different area then. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

  • 2000 Census 506
  • 2005 (estimate) 471
  • 2010 Census 445
  • 2015 (estimate) 447
  • 2020 Census 460
  • 2025 (estimate) 453

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Cotton Township?

The median resident of Cotton Township is 57.4 years old; 12.9% are under 18 and 34.8% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 93.3%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 3.4%.

Age, origin, education and moves, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
MeasureCotton TownshipSt. Louis CountyMinnesotaChange since 2015-2019
Median age57.4±6.641.238.8no clear change
Under 18 years12.9%±6.4 pts18.6%22.9%–
65 years and over34.8%±7.9 pts21.4%17.3%–
Male53.4%±5.9 pts50.3%50.1%–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)1.7%±2.0 pts1.9%6.4%–
White alone, not Hispanic93.3%±4.2 pts89.5%75.9%no clear change
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic0.0%±6.1 pts1.6%6.9%–
Asian alone, not Hispanic0.0%±6.1 pts1.0%5.1%–
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic1.4%±1.9 pts1.5%0.7%–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic0.0%±6.1 pts0.0%0.0%–
Two or more races, not Hispanic3.4%±3.1 pts4.1%4.5%–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic0.3%±0.7 pts0.3%0.5%–
Born outside the United States2.0%±1.6 pts1.9%8.7%–
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)2.4%±2.1 pts3.2%12.4%–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)15.8%±5.4 pts7.3%5.9%–
With a disability14.9%±5.9 pts15.6%11.6%–
No health insurance coverage2.8%±2.2 pts4.1%4.7%–
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)97.3%±2.3 pts95.1%93.9%–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)23.9%±5.8 pts33.6%39.4%no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)9.3%±3.4 pts12.2%13.8%–
Lived in the same house a year earlier95.5%±3.1 pts86.2%87.8%–
Moved from another state in the past year0.6%±1.0 pts2.4%1.8%–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Cotton Township earn?

Half of Cotton Township's 183 households earn less than $72,917 a year (±$18,204), against $70,069 in St. Louis County and $89,062 in Minnesota. In 2015-2019 it was $63,586 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 6.5% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; 2015-2019 dollars adjusted with the R-CPI-U-RS
MeasureCotton TownshipSt. Louis CountyMinnesotaChange since 2015-2019
Median household income$72,917±$18,204$70,069$89,062no clear change
Mean household income$85,680±$10,880$93,368$118,304–
Per capita income$43,902±$5,286$41,302$48,237no clear change
People below the poverty line6.5%±4.0 pts13.2%9.3%no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line0.0%±36.2 pts12.5%10.3%–
Households receiving SNAP8.2%±6.0 pts10.2%7.9%–
Households with a computer94.0%±3.2 pts94.1%95.8%–
Households with a broadband subscription85.2%±5.8 pts88.6%91.6%–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Cotton Township?

Owners occupy 98.9% of Cotton Township's occupied homes and renters 1.1%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $238,500 by its owner (±$35,116).

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Home values are owners' own estimates.
MeasureCotton TownshipSt. Louis CountyMinnesotaChange since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)$238,500±$35,116$221,400$329,300+$44,912
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage$1,655±$141$1,558$1,947–
Owner-occupied homes98.9%±1.6 pts71.2%72.2%+4.8 pts
Renter-occupied homes1.1%±1.6 pts28.8%27.8%–
Housing units433±79104,2632,545,030no clear change
Homeowner vacancy rate0.0%±11.7 pts0.9%0.6%–
Rental vacancy rate0.0%±100.0 pts4.4%5.3%–
Single-family detached homes85.5%±6.5 pts73.2%66.0%–
Mobile homes14.5%±6.5 pts3.8%2.9%–
Built 2020 or later0.7%±0.7 pts0.8%1.9%–
Built 2010 to 201913.6%±5.7 pts5.1%8.5%–
Built 1939 or earlier21.5%±14.7 pts28.4%15.6%–
Households with no vehicle1.6%±1.9 pts8.0%6.7%–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How do people in Cotton Township work and get to work?

79.7% of Cotton Township's workers drive alone. The average trip to work takes 43.8 minutes.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (workers 16 and over)
MeasureCotton TownshipSt. Louis CountyMinnesotaChange since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)47.5%±8.1 pts61.2%68.1%–
Unemployment rate3.4%±3.5 pts4.6%4.1%–
Drove alone to work79.7%±11.0 pts74.1%68.9%–
Carpooled6.3%±5.0 pts7.6%7.5%–
Public transportation0.7%±2.2 pts1.8%1.8%–
Walked5.6%±7.1 pts3.6%2.5%–
Worked from home7.7%±7.7 pts11.2%17.6%–
Mean travel time to work43.8 min±9.119.9 min22.7 minno clear change

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What census tracts are in Cotton Township?

No census tract lies mostly in Cotton Township; 1 tract reaches into it (2020 census blocks).

Census tracts in Cotton Township, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
TractResidents, 2020-2024Median household incomeMedian home valueShare of tract in Cotton Township
Tract 114.02St. Louis County1,926 $97,188 $261,30026%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Cotton Township) · Census block assignment files

How does Cotton Township compare with other places in Minnesota?

By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Cotton Township is the 10,359th-most populous of the 16,079 U.S. towns and townships that have one and the 594th-most populous of 1,772 in Minnesota.

Cotton Township is not ranked by income or the other survey measures: those rankings include places of 1,000 or more residents (2020 Census) with a reliable estimate.

Cotton Township's rank in Minnesota (1 = highest): by population among the state's towns and townships with a 2025 estimate; by the other measures among places of 1,000+ residents with a reliable estimate
MeasureRankOf
Population, July 2025 estimate594th1,772

Cotton Township's figures with every place in Minnesota (CSV)

Every place in Minnesota, sortable · Compare Cotton Township with other places

Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How reliable are the figures for Cotton Township?

24 of the 55 figures for Cotton Township on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.

The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Cotton Township are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.