County · Minnesota

Blue Earth County, Minnesota

Blue Earth County, Minnesota. Blue Earth County had 70,634 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 2.2% since 2020, in line with Minnesota (+2.2%). It holds 37 places (13 cities, villages and boroughs, 23 towns and townships and 1 census-designated) and 16 census tracts. GEOID 27013.

Blue Earth County is one of the 2 counties of the Mankato, MN metropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

70,634

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 69,112 · ACS 2020-2024: 69,871

Median household income

$74,477

±$2,447 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $89,062

Median home value

$266,700

±$6,335 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $329,300

Median gross rent

$1,123

±$53 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $1,280

How many people live in Blue Earth County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 69,112 residents in Blue Earth County. The Census Bureau estimates 70,634 for July 1, 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, in line with Minnesota (+2.2%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 69,871 over 748 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 +185 (69,387)
2021→2022 +721 (70,108)
2022→2023 +220 (70,328)
2023→2024 −128 (70,200)
2024→2025 +434 (70,634)

Blue Earth County in Minnesota. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Blue Earth County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	69,871	5,739,445	+3,076
Households	27,606±356	2,307,955	+1,515
Average household size	2.37±0.03	2.43	no clear change
Housing units	29,864±67	2,545,030	+1,449

Blue Earth County's population since 2000

From 55,941 in 2000 to 70,634 in 2025: up 26.3%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. 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 55,941
2005 (estimate) 59,918
2010 Census 64,013
2015 (estimate) 65,701
2020 Census 69,112
2025 (estimate) 70,634

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); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Blue Earth County?

Blue Earth County holds 37 places: 13 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places), 23 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government) and 1 census-designated place. The largest is Mankato with 46,529 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Blue Earth County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Mankato	city	44,488	45,473±51	$66,873	$261,700	20.6%	100%
Eagle Lake	city	3,278	3,281±33	$96,964	$276,500	6.2%	100%
Lake Crystal	city	2,539	2,606±256	$83,317	$204,400	7.8%	100%
Mankato Township	township	1,806	1,748±299	$113,269	$451,400	13.0%	100%
Mapleton	city	1,710	1,728±240	$80,909	$181,900	13.4%	100%
South Bend Township	township	1,581	1,458±134	$87,500	$260,400	5.3%	100%
Madison Lake	city	1,247	1,322±193	$87,727	$303,100	6.8%	100%
Decoria Township	township	1,146	1,314±183	$124,063	$382,600	5.1%	100%
Rapidan Township	township	1,051	941±133	$91,667	$311,400	4.1%	100%
Lime Township	township	946	889±142	$103,977	$423,500	4.4%	100%
Garden City Township	township	844	652±120	$85,469	$280,900	3.2%	100%
Le Ray Township	township	760	780±132	$91,250	$394,100	7.8%	100%
St. Clair	city	750	710±133	$106,136	$218,000	4.9%	100%
Jamestown Township	township	679	696±118	$105,750	$447,600	1.6%	100%
Good Thunder	city	560	456±73	$81,667	$178,700	7.9%	100%
Amboy	city	535	602±112	$69,844	$134,400	13.8%	100%
Judson Township	township	534	481±80	$98,250	$264,100	4.8%	100%
McPherson Township	township	424	346±75	$108,333	$332,400	5.8%	100%
Beauford Township	township	376	427±94	$117,083	$271,300	3.5%	100%
Garden City	CDP	339	194±56	$81,250	$177,200	3.6%	100%
Vernon Center	city	328	329±60	$70,000	$143,300	4.3%	100%
Medo Township	township	321	285±52	$99,583	$285,300	9.2%	100%
Butternut Valley TownshipGEOID 2701309046	township	298	272±54	$111,875	$294,200	4.4%	100%
Lyra Township	township	294	266±62	$75,833	$287,000	5.3%	100%
SkylineGEOID 2760754	city	288	307±87	$71,875	$291,500	8.8%	100%
Mapleton TownshipGEOID 2701340328	township	285	352±80	$110,268	$313,400	7.1%	100%
Cambria Township	township	255	392±180	$93,264	$327,600	6.1%	100%
Vernon Center TownshipGEOID 2701366928	township	250	268±68	$120,938	$293,800	1.1%	100%
Shelby Township	township	246	265±53	$102,083	$309,500	5.7%	100%
Sterling TownshipGEOID 2701362716	township	244	278±89	$111,250	$272,700	1.8%	100%
Pemberton	city	229	223±60	$50,417	$170,800	12.6%	100%
Danville Township	township	226	235±51	$105,000	$276,200	5.1%	100%
Lincoln Township, Blue Earth CountyGEOID 2701337124	township	205	205±73	$89,063	$285,700	1.0%	100%
Pleasant Mound Township	township	195	140±36	$66,250	$214,300	10.0%	100%
Ceresco TownshipGEOID 2701310756	township	181	138±47	$57,321	$225,000	8.0%	100%
North Mankato	city	14,275	14,211±29	$80,791	$262,100	4.5%	0%
Minnesota Lake	city	661	687±103	$68,750	$158,100	7.0%	1%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Blue Earth County?

The median resident of Blue Earth County is 31.6 years old; 19.7% are under 18 and 15.3% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 84.4%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 4.8%. 5.4% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Blue Earth County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	31.6±0.2	38.8	+0.6
Under 18 years	19.7%	22.9%	–
65 years and over	15.3%±0.1 pts	17.3%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	4.8%	6.4%	+1.2 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	84.4%±0.2 pts	75.9%	−3.5 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	4.8%±0.5 pts	6.9%	+0.9 pts
Asian alone, not Hispanic	2.3%±0.3 pts	5.1%	no clear change
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.1 pts	0.7%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.0%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	3.4%±0.6 pts	4.5%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.1 pts	0.5%	–
Born outside the United States	5.4%±0.7 pts	8.7%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	7.7%±0.9 pts	12.4%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	4.5%±0.5 pts	5.9%	–
With a disability	11.7%±1.0 pts	11.6%	–
No health insurance coverage	4.3%±0.5 pts	4.7%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	94.7%±0.9 pts	93.9%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	34.2%±1.6 pts	39.4%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	11.0%±0.9 pts	13.8%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	2.0%±0.5 pts	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 Blue Earth County earn?

Half of Blue Earth County's 27,606 households earn less than $74,477 a year (±$2,447), against $89,062 in Minnesota. In 2015-2019 the median was $70,678 in 2024 dollars, so it rose by $3,799 after inflation. 15.7% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Blue Earth County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$74,477±$2,447	$89,062	+$3,799
Mean household income	$93,438±$2,926	$118,304	–
Per capita income	$37,155±$1,139	$48,237	no clear change
People below the poverty line	15.7%±1.5 pts	9.3%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	11.4%±2.3 pts	10.3%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	8.8%±1.3 pts	7.9%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	88.9%±1.3 pts	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 Blue Earth County?

Owners occupy 61.4% of Blue Earth County's occupied homes and renters 38.6%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $266,700 by its owner (±$6,335). The median renter pays $1,123 a month including utilities, and 41.8% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Blue Earth County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$266,700±$6,335	$329,300	+$39,268
Median gross rent	$1,123±$53	$1,280	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	41.8%±5.0 pts	38.4%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,662±$40	$1,947	–
Owner-occupied homes	61.4%±1.6 pts	72.2%	no clear change
Housing units	29,864±67	2,545,030	+1,449
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.7%±0.5 pts	0.6%	–
Rental vacancy rate	5.7%±2.1 pts	5.3%	–
Single-family detached homes	58.2%±1.8 pts	66.0%	–
Mobile homes	4.9%±0.8 pts	2.9%	–
Built 2020 or later	2.2%±0.7 pts	1.9%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	18.4%±1.3 pts	15.6%	–

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 Blue Earth County building?

Builders took permits for 274 new housing units across Blue Earth County in 2025 (186 single-family), 3.9 per 1,000 residents.

2019 192 units
2020 360 units
2021 321 units
2022 414 units
2023 472 units
2024 271 units
2025 274 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Blue Earth County get to work?

75.5% of Blue Earth County's workers drive alone and 8.5% work from home. The average trip to work takes 16.8 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 4.9%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Blue Earth County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	69.3%±1.1 pts	68.1%	–
Unemployment rate	4.9%±0.8 pts	4.1%	+1.1 pts
Drove alone to work	75.5%±2.1 pts	68.9%	–
Carpooled	10.6%±2.1 pts	7.5%	–
Public transportation	1.3%±0.6 pts	1.8%	–
Walked	3.0%±0.5 pts	2.5%	–
Worked from home	8.5%±1.0 pts	17.6%	+3.0 pts
Mean travel time to work	16.8 min±0.6	22.7 min	−1.3 min

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 are Blue Earth County's census tracts?

Blue Earth County is divided into 16 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $37,000 (Tract 1706) to $111,901 (Tract 1716).

Census tracts of Blue Earth County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 170127013170100	Eagle Lake (22%)	5,448	5,481±258	$92,188	$317,000	$1,285	5.7%
Tract 170227013170200	Mankato (50%)	8,140	8,326±694	$90,398	$346,200	$1,559	9.3%
Tract 170327013170300	Mankato (93%)	3,040	3,351±522	$75,227	$185,500	$1,073	12.0%
Tract 170427013170400	Mankato (96%)	4,167	4,429±573	$73,033	$233,600	$1,310	12.3%
Tract 170527013170500	Mankato (96%)	4,636	5,035±528	$91,370	$289,300	$1,256	13.9%
Tract 170627013170600	Mankato	2,373	2,338±312	$37,000	$169,800	$903	34.2%
Tract 170727013170700	Mankato	2,554	2,666±510	$45,574	$220,600	$977	40.7%
Tract 170827013170800	Mankato (81%)	4,943	4,821±456	$71,150	$286,200	$1,303	10.5%
Tract 170927013170900	Mankato (1%)	2,988	2,901±184	$93,274	$261,800	$1,243	4.9%
Tract 171027013171000	Lake Crystal (46%)	3,500	3,375±241	$84,735	$212,000	$835	6.7%
Tract 1711.0127013171101	Mankato	6,002	6,061±680	$48,125	$240,200	$960	29.9%
Tract 1712.0227013171202	Mankato (95%)	7,391	7,361±753	$45,677	$231,600	$1,214	38.5%
Tract 171327013171300	St. Clair (9%)	3,787	3,710±274	$105,645	$334,500	$1,010	4.4%
Tract 171427013171400	Mapleton (19%)	3,382	3,462±265	$93,030	$226,700	$823	9.8%
Tract 171527013171500	Amboy (6%)	2,618	2,528±167	$78,839	$188,300	$753	7.5%
Tract 171627013171600	Mankato (98%)	4,143	4,026±538	$111,901	$369,000	$1,012	13.1%

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

How does Blue Earth County compare with Minnesota's other counties?

Blue Earth County's rank among Minnesota's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	13th of 87
Growth 2020-2025	29th of 87
Residents per square mile	16th of 87
Median household income	40th of 87
Median home value	27th of 87
Median gross rent	13th of 87
Poverty rate	3rd of 87
Bachelor's degree or higher	12th of 87
Median age	87th of 87

Every county in Minnesota

Source: PlainCities ranks 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 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 Blue Earth County 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.