County · Minnesota

Cass County, Minnesota

Cass County, Minnesota. Cass County had 31,430 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 4.5% since 2020, faster than Minnesota (+2.2%). It holds 65 places (15 cities, villages and boroughs, 49 towns and townships and 1 census-designated) and 11 census tracts. GEOID 27021.

Cass County is one of the 2 counties of the Brainerd, MN micropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

31,430

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 30,066 · ACS 2020-2024: 30,992

Median household income

$68,874

±$2,502 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $89,062

Median home value

$288,300

±$7,268 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $329,300

Median gross rent

$863

±$45 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $1,280

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

The 2020 Census counted 30,066 residents in Cass County. The Census Bureau estimates 31,430 for July 1, 2025, up 4.5% since 2020, faster than Minnesota (+2.2%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 30,992 over 2,021 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 +508 (30,660)
2021→2022 +586 (31,246)
2022→2023 +98 (31,344)
2023→2024 +80 (31,424)
2024→2025 +6 (31,430)

Cass County in Minnesota. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Cass County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	30,992	5,739,445	+1,724
Households	12,874±226	2,307,955	no clear change
Average household size	2.38±0.04	2.43	+0.19
Housing units	24,470±61	2,545,030	−1,396

Cass County's population since 2000

From 27,150 in 2000 to 31,430 in 2025: up 15.8%. 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 27,150
2005 (estimate) 28,683
2010 Census 28,567
2015 (estimate) 28,704
2020 Census 30,066
2025 (estimate) 31,430

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 Cass County?

Cass County holds 65 places: 15 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places), 49 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government) and 1 census-designated place. The largest is Sylvan Township with 3,030 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 Cass County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Sylvan Township	township	2,889	2,982±32	$95,354	$298,200	6.4%	100%
Pike Bay Township	township	1,713	1,811±174	$72,750	$151,000	22.9%	100%
Shingobee Township	township	1,661	1,455±207	$75,000	$324,800	10.6%	100%
Pine River Township	township	1,186	1,058±118	$58,056	$229,200	15.5%	100%
Lake Shore	city	1,056	1,073±127	$96,563	$513,200	5.8%	100%
East Gull Lake	city	986	1,076±161	$123,333	$553,700	3.6%	100%
Walker	city	966	848±144	$34,375	$261,800	21.5%	100%
Pine River	city	911	906±114	$43,080	$180,400	29.1%	100%
Fairview Township, Cass County	township	889	1,005±171	$113,646	$481,700	3.1%	100%
May Township, Cass County	township	842	938±151	$61,250	$262,700	6.6%	100%
Turtle Lake Township, Cass County	township	820	714±126	$80,208	$297,800	18.1%	100%
Powers Township	township	811	858±161	$59,196	$242,200	18.3%	100%
Woodrow Township, Cass County	township	710	763±87	$64,659	$462,300	5.9%	100%
Cass Lake	city	675	635±127	$48,250	$109,900	22.8%	100%
Wilson Township, Cass County	township	667	542±109	$51,518	$223,100	12.5%	100%
Loon Lake Township	township	626	831±182	$75,313	$371,300	2.8%	100%
Kego Township	township	613	500±71	$63,750	$311,800	17.3%	100%
Ponto Lake Township	township	589	721±133	$79,318	$359,500	8.3%	100%
Birch Lake Township	township	576	529±73	$61,136	$276,700	11.3%	100%
Wilkinson Township	township	574	544±146	$64,286	$192,000	33.3%	100%
Walden Township, Cass County	township	539	432±63	$59,375	$207,600	10.9%	100%
Barclay Township	township	525	569±94	$54,637	$255,300	4.4%	100%
Pillager	city	507	547±93	$67,679	$180,300	10.2%	100%
Crooked Lake Township	township	504	655±103	$72,188	$432,600	10.2%	100%
Becker Township, Cass County	township	484	682±144	$59,545	$262,500	22.4%	100%
Leech Lake Township	township	437	595±118	$68,750	$257,300	10.6%	100%
Wabedo Township	township	423	452±83	$63,036	$341,900	16.4%	100%
Maple Township	township	407	525±121	$73,438	$266,300	10.1%	100%
Remer	city	391	371±76	$49,500	$153,000	15.8%	100%
Hiram Township	township	353	503±97	$65,000	$383,300	8.9%	100%
Hackensack	city	294	248±68	$41,250	$176,800	25.7%	100%
Backus	city	263	291±80	$56,250	$134,700	17.9%	100%
Home Brook Township	township	263	290±58	$56,250	$283,300	11.3%	100%
Gould Township	township	232	206±44	$51,250	$200,000	28.2%	100%
Meadow Brook Township	township	230	216±60	$58,036	$181,300	10.2%	100%
Thunder Lake Township	township	225	238±33	$77,188	$403,600	11.8%	100%
Boy Lake Township	township	210	318±78	$49,293	$258,300	33.2%	100%
Slater Township	township	201	186±40	$79,688	$305,000	12.2%	100%
Pine Lake Township, Cass County	township	193	251±50	$74,375	$417,400	6.0%	100%
Remer Township	township	193	187±62	$46,250	$192,900	19.5%	100%
Trelipe Township	township	183	180±34	$71,042	$336,400	2.8%	100%
Poplar TownshipGEOID 2702151964	township	179	145±70	$57,500	$230,000	4.1%	100%
Inguadona Township	township	176	184±33	$60,893	$340,900	13.6%	100%
Torrey TownshipGEOID 2702165254	township	164	176±62	$62,083	$315,600	4.5%	100%
Bungo TownshipGEOID 2702108596	township	159	117±32	$39,479	$228,100	12.8%	100%
LongvilleGEOID 2738114	city	153	138±38	$32,917	$187,500	23.2%	100%
Byron Township, Cass CountyGEOID 2702109136	township	151	169±53	$72,000	$242,600	2.4%	100%
Bull Moose TownshipGEOID 2702108560	township	145	150±52	$116,250	$270,800	1.3%	100%
BenaGEOID 2705104	city	143	79±47	$49,167	$112,500	22.8%	100%
McKinley TownshipGEOID 2702139104	township	140	140±45	$50,278	$115,600	22.1%	100%
Moose Lake Township, Cass County	township	134	197±60	$75,000	$217,900	4.1%	100%
Chickamaw Beach	city	128	248±65	$110,000	$298,800	4.8%	100%
Federal Dam	city	123	142±44	$38,393	$123,100	10.6%	100%
Deerfield Township, Cass CountyGEOID 2702115220	township	117	157±59	$56,250	$208,300	40.1%	100%
Salem Township, Cass CountyGEOID 2702158216	township	115	109±31	$68,750	$173,200	20.4%	100%
Blind Lake TownshipGEOID 2702106454	township	98	86±26	$31,563	$256,800	19.8%	100%
Rogers TownshipGEOID 2702155168	township	84	69±21	$83,750	$407,100	0.0%	100%
Otter Tail Peninsula TownshipGEOID 2702149250	township	82	78±21	$93,750	$315,400	9.0%	100%
Ansel TownshipGEOID 2702101738	township	76	75±26	$63,750	$187,500	10.7%	100%
Beulah TownshipGEOID 2702105572	township	72	81±28	$48,929	$313,300	7.4%	100%
WhipholtGEOID 2769880	CDP	70	76±24	$72,500	$342,900	15.8%	100%
Boy River TownshipGEOID 2702107192	township	56	98±44	$58,958	$217,900	3.1%	100%
Smoky Hollow TownshipGEOID 2702160970	township	55	180±88	not published	$268,800	2.2%	100%
Boy RiverGEOID 2707174	city	26	6±5	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Motley	city	680	608±138	$47,222	$152,800	11.7%	2%

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 Cass County?

The median resident of Cass County is 49.9 years old; 20.0% are under 18 and 27.5% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 80.8%, then non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native residents at 8.7%. 1.4% 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	Cass County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	49.9±0.1	38.8	+1.0
Under 18 years	20.0%	22.9%	–
65 years and over	27.5%±0.1 pts	17.3%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	1.8%	6.4%	−0.4 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	80.8%±0.6 pts	75.9%	−2.1 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	0.4%±0.1 pts	6.9%	no clear change
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.5%±0.1 pts	5.1%	no clear change
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	8.7%±0.4 pts	0.7%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.1%±0.1 pts	0.0%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	7.2%±0.8 pts	4.5%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.6%±0.2 pts	0.5%	–
Born outside the United States	1.4%±0.3 pts	8.7%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	2.9%±0.4 pts	12.4%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	9.5%±0.5 pts	5.9%	–
With a disability	15.7%±0.7 pts	11.6%	–
No health insurance coverage	6.9%±0.7 pts	4.7%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	94.3%±0.6 pts	93.9%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	26.0%±1.1 pts	39.4%	+2.8 pts
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	7.5%±0.5 pts	13.8%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	1.1%±0.2 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 Cass County earn?

Half of Cass County's 12,874 households earn less than $68,874 a year (±$2,502), against $89,062 in Minnesota. In 2015-2019 the median was $64,247 in 2024 dollars, so it rose by $4,627 after inflation. 12.8% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Cass County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$68,874±$2,502	$89,062	+$4,627
Mean household income	$90,608±$2,319	$118,304	–
Per capita income	$38,449±$968	$48,237	no clear change
People below the poverty line	12.8%±1.1 pts	9.3%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	18.0%±3.2 pts	10.3%	−5.2 pts
Households receiving SNAP	11.6%±1.1 pts	7.9%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	89.3%±0.9 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 Cass County?

Owners occupy 86.2% of Cass County's occupied homes and renters 13.8%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $288,300 by its owner (±$7,268). The median renter pays $863 a month including utilities, and 30.2% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Cass County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$288,300±$7,268	$329,300	+$49,299
Median gross rent	$863±$45	$1,280	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	30.2%±4.2 pts	38.4%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,535±$34	$1,947	–
Owner-occupied homes	86.2%±1.1 pts	72.2%	+4.7 pts
Housing units	24,470±61	2,545,030	−1,396
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.5%±0.2 pts	0.6%	–
Rental vacancy rate	4.1%±1.9 pts	5.3%	–
Single-family detached homes	85.8%±0.8 pts	66.0%	–
Mobile homes	8.3%±0.7 pts	2.9%	–
Built 2020 or later	1.9%±0.3 pts	1.9%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	4.9%±0.4 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 Cass County building?

Builders took permits for 271 new housing units across Cass County in 2025 (253 single-family), 8.6 per 1,000 residents.

2019 209 units
2020 263 units
2021 340 units
2022 314 units
2023 277 units
2024 294 units
2025 271 units

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

How do people in Cass County get to work?

73.2% of Cass County's workers drive alone and 12.3% work from home. The average trip to work takes 25.2 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 6.6%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Cass County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	55.1%±0.8 pts	68.1%	–
Unemployment rate	6.6%±0.8 pts	4.1%	+1.6 pts
Drove alone to work	73.2%±1.3 pts	68.9%	–
Carpooled	9.7%±0.9 pts	7.5%	–
Public transportation	0.4%±0.2 pts	1.8%	–
Walked	2.5%±0.6 pts	2.5%	–
Worked from home	12.3%±0.9 pts	17.6%	+4.5 pts
Mean travel time to work	25.2 min±0.8	22.7 min	+1.6 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 Cass County's census tracts?

Cass County is divided into 11 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $53,676 (Tract 9603.01) to $104,732 (Tract 9608.01).

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

Tract 9400.0127021940001	Walker (17%)	4,214	3,969±256	$65,714	$299,900	$642	13.7%
Tract 9400.0227021940002	Cass Lake (26%)	3,344	3,218±165	$59,167	$156,000	$815	26.0%
Tract 960127021960100	Remer (12%)	2,002	2,144±180	$59,327	$224,100	$886	10.6%
Tract 960227021960200	Longville (4%)	2,375	2,494±144	$64,801	$341,300	$838	13.8%
Tract 9603.0127021960301	Longville (6%)	1,000	1,028±92	$53,676	$357,800	$1,200	13.8%
Tract 9603.0227021960302	Longville (1%)	1,282	1,334±118	$63,750	$361,100	$700	13.7%
Tract 960627021960600	Backus (13%)	3,123	3,205±194	$58,200	$241,500	$877	15.8%
Tract 960727021960700	Pine River (15%)	4,539	4,670±213	$64,213	$242,300	$800	11.6%
Tract 9608.0127021960801	East Gull Lake (35%)	3,651	4,097±178	$104,732	$386,000	$1,375	5.2%
Tract 9608.0327021960803	Pillager (21%)	2,100	2,227±153	$64,853	$220,700	$1,048	13.2%
Tract 9608.0427021960804	Lake Shore (25%)	2,436	2,606±204	$83,625	$364,000	$1,333	5.4%

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

How does Cass County compare with Minnesota's other counties?

Cass County's rank among Minnesota's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	34th of 87
Growth 2020-2025	12th of 87
Residents per square mile	65th of 87
Median household income	74th of 87
Median home value	19th of 87
Median gross rent	54th of 87
Poverty rate	18th of 87
Bachelor's degree or higher	41st of 87
Median age	5th 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 Cass 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.