City · Minnesota
Fosston, Minnesota
Fosston, city, in Polk County, Minnesota. Fosston had 1,383 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 3.8% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 1,434 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 1,374 (±145). GEOID 2721986.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
1,383
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 1,434 · ACS 2020-2024: 1,374 ±145
Median household income
$52,500
±$8,558 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $89,062
Median home value
$151,700
±$19,732 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $329,300
Median gross rent
$790
±$149 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $1,280
Where is Fosston and what county is it in?
Fosston is a city in Polk County, Minnesota. It covers 2.0 square miles of land, 713 residents per square mile in 2020.
Fosston is in the Grand Forks, ND-MN metropolitan statistical area, which takes in 2 counties (Census Bureau delineation, July 2023).
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Fosston, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 1,383 people lived in Fosston on July 1, 2025, down 3.8% since 2020, while Minnesota grew 2.2%. The 2020 Census counted 1,434 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 1,374 (±145).
| Measure | Fosston | Polk County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 1,374 ±145 | 30,705 | −197 |
| Households | 604 ±73 | 12,360 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 2.03 ±0.18 | 2.38 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 643 ±72 | 14,697 | −110 |
Fosston's population since 2000
From 1,575 in 2000 to 1,383 in 2025: down 12.2%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Fosston 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.
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 Fosston?
The median resident of Fosston is 41.6 years old; 22.8% are under 18 and 29.3% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 92.5%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 4.2%.
| Measure | Fosston | Polk County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 41.6 ±8.3 | 39.8 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 22.8% ±3.9 pts | 24.5% | – |
| 65 years and over | 29.3% ±4.3 pts | 19.1% | – |
| Male | 42.3% ±3.8 pts | 51.4% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.0% ±1.9 pts | 6.9% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 92.5% ±4.6 pts | 84.0% | no clear change |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±1.6 pts | 2.0% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±1.6 pts | 0.8% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 1.3% ±1.4 pts | 0.6% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±1.6 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 4.2% ±3.3 pts | 4.7% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±1.6 pts | 0.9% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 0.1% ±0.2 pts | 2.1% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 0.2% ±0.9 pts | 6.0% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 5.3% ±2.2 pts | 6.2% | – |
| With a disability | 20.5% ±4.6 pts | 11.7% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 3.0% ±1.5 pts | 5.8% | no clear change |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 84.4% ±5.4 pts | 93.8% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 20.7% ±5.2 pts | 28.0% | no clear change |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 8.1% ±3.7 pts | 9.0% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 78.4% ±7.2 pts | 89.3% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 2.3% ±3.2 pts | 3.5% | – |
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 Fosston earn?
Half of Fosston's 604 households earn less than $52,500 a year (±$8,558), against $73,107 in Polk County and $89,062 in Minnesota. In 2015-2019 it was $51,645 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 25.6% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Fosston | Polk County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $52,500 ±$8,558 | $73,107 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $60,022 ±$6,189 | $90,262 | – |
| Per capita income | $28,204 ±$3,479 | $37,371 | no clear change |
| People below the poverty line | 25.6% ±7.8 pts | 11.9% | +10.3 pts |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 37.1% ±17.3 pts | 12.9% | no clear change |
| Households receiving SNAP | 23.5% ±6.3 pts | 10.0% | – |
| Households with a computer | 89.6% ±4.4 pts | 94.1% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 82.3% ±4.5 pts | 90.4% | – |
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 Fosston?
Owners occupy 55.3% of Fosston's occupied homes and renters 44.7%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $151,700 by its owner (±$19,732). The median renter pays $790 a month including utilities, and 36.6% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.
| Measure | Fosston | Polk County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $151,700 ±$19,732 | $222,800 | no clear change |
| Median gross rent | $790 ±$149 | $855 | no clear change |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 36.6% ±14.2 pts | 47.4% | no clear change |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $1,297 ±$100 | $1,617 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 55.3% ±6.4 pts | 71.3% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 44.7% ±6.4 pts | 28.7% | – |
| Housing units | 643 ±72 | 14,697 | −110 |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 0.9% ±1.2 pts | 0.3% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 3.2% ±4.9 pts | 9.3% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 75.9% ±5.6 pts | 72.1% | – |
| Mobile homes | 4.4% ±3.3 pts | 5.4% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 0.0% ±3.4 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 3.6% ±2.7 pts | 6.5% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 23.8% ±6.0 pts | 22.1% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 10.3% ±5.1 pts | 7.4% | – |
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 many new homes is Fosston building?
Builders took permits for 1 new housing units in Fosston in 2025 (1 in single-family houses), 0.7 per 1,000 residents against 3.6 across Minnesota.
Counts of units in permits a local office issued; not every permitted unit is built. A year marked with months was reported for part of the year.
Source: Building Permits Survey, annual place files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey
How do people in Fosston work and get to work?
74.3% of Fosston's workers drive alone and 5.7% work from home. The average trip to work takes 14.6 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 10.0%.
| Measure | Fosston | Polk County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 55.0% ±5.9 pts | 66.3% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 10.0% ±5.1 pts | 3.6% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 74.3% ±8.4 pts | 78.3% | – |
| Carpooled | 7.8% ±3.6 pts | 6.7% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.4% ±0.7 pts | 1.6% | – |
| Walked | 7.0% ±4.2 pts | 6.2% | – |
| Worked from home | 5.7% ±3.2 pts | 5.8% | no clear change |
| Mean travel time to work | 14.6 min ±3.7 | 18.6 min | no 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 Fosston?
No census tract lies mostly in Fosston; 1 tract reaches into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 210Polk County | 3,184 | $63,517 |
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 Fosston) · Census block assignment files
How does Fosston compare with other places in Minnesota?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Fosston is the 9,058th-most populous of the 19,476 U.S. incorporated places that have one and the 306th-most populous of 855 in Minnesota.
Fosston ranks 533rd of 558 places in Minnesota with 1,000 or more residents and a reliable estimate, by median household income.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 306th | 855 |
| Growth 2020-2025 (PEP) | 526th | 556 |
| Residents per square mile | 273rd | 562 |
| Median household income | 533rd | 558 |
| Per capita income | 545th | 562 |
| Median home value | 508th | 559 |
| Median gross rent | 388th | 465 |
| Poverty rate | 7th | 461 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 444th | 559 |
| Median age | 266th | 561 |
| Owner-occupied share | 540th | 561 |
| Work from home | 487th | 525 |
| Travel time to work | 527th | 562 |
Fosston's figures with every place in Minnesota (CSV)
Every place in Minnesota, sortable · Compare Fosston 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 Fosston?
16 of the 57 figures for Fosston 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 Fosston 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' public schools in Fosston.