County · Minnesota

Mille Lacs County, Minnesota

Mille Lacs County, Minnesota. Mille Lacs County had 27,753 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than Minnesota (+2.2%). It holds 26 places (8 cities, villages and boroughs, 17 towns and townships and 1 census-designated) and 7 census tracts. GEOID 27095.

Mille Lacs County is one of the 15 counties of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

27,753

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 26,459 · ACS 2020-2024: 27,125

Median household income

$72,729

±$3,403 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $89,062

Median home value

$258,300

±$8,250 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $329,300

Median gross rent

$903

±$52 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $1,280

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

The 2020 Census counted 26,459 residents in Mille Lacs County. The Census Bureau estimates 27,753 for July 1, 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than Minnesota (+2.2%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 27,125 over 572 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 +444 (26,919)
2021→2022 +368 (27,287)
2022→2023 +179 (27,466)
2023→2024 +214 (27,680)
2024→2025 +73 (27,753)

Mille Lacs County in Minnesota. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Mille Lacs County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	27,125	5,739,445	+1,260
Households	10,672±214	2,307,955	+423
Average household size	2.50±0.05	2.43	no clear change
Housing units	13,069±57	2,545,030	+155

Mille Lacs County's population since 2000

From 22,330 in 2000 to 27,753 in 2025: up 24.3%. 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 22,330
2005 (estimate) 25,414
2010 Census 26,097
2015 (estimate) 25,482
2020 Census 26,459
2025 (estimate) 27,753

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 Mille Lacs County?

Mille Lacs County holds 26 places: 8 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places), 17 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government) and 1 census-designated place. The largest is Princeton with 5,480 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 Mille Lacs County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Princeton	city	4,819	5,274±216	$62,219	$218,700	8.5%	99%
Milaca	city	3,021	3,044±15	$49,588	$203,400	16.9%	100%
Princeton Township	township	2,228	2,038±299	$88,056	$300,900	11.5%	100%
Borgholm Township	township	1,831	1,742±206	$83,359	$269,300	3.7%	100%
Milaca Township	township	1,640	1,947±250	$99,583	$294,000	4.4%	100%
Milo Township	township	1,512	1,304±201	$84,000	$281,400	8.2%	100%
Kathio Township	township	1,507	1,424±156	$62,692	$219,100	25.1%	100%
Bogus Brook Township	township	1,470	1,844±305	$123,846	$309,900	2.3%	100%
Greenbush Township	township	1,299	1,384±203	$105,500	$308,200	8.1%	100%
Vineland	CDP	869	674±113	$53,375	$154,000	37.8%	100%
South Harbor Township	township	836	924±107	$68,250	$329,800	15.3%	100%
Isle	city	803	695±94	$54,773	$237,500	18.0%	100%
Onamia	city	784	719±108	$32,750	$122,900	26.2%	100%
Page Township	township	783	972±188	$99,395	$316,700	5.9%	100%
East Side Township	township	650	749±100	$76,500	$242,900	11.5%	100%
Onamia Township	township	580	549±98	$61,435	$243,400	9.7%	100%
Foreston	city	559	757±178	$92,000	$253,600	7.1%	100%
Isle Harbor Township	township	557	545±71	$62,232	$263,100	7.4%	100%
Hayland Township	township	522	477±77	$96,250	$332,800	5.5%	100%
Pease	city	238	217±58	$66,667	$178,900	7.2%	100%
Wahkon	city	235	258±47	$51,750	$235,700	11.4%	100%
Dailey Township	township	216	232±73	$62,500	$291,100	25.4%	100%
Bradbury Township	township	208	181±64	$76,625	$320,000	7.2%	100%
Mudgett TownshipGEOID 2709544710	township	89	51±21	$79,375	$366,700	0.0%	100%
BockGEOID 2706814	city	78	49±18	$48,333	$144,600	16.3%	100%
Lewis TownshipGEOID 2709536782	township	47	74±60	not published	$268,800	17.4%	100%

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 Mille Lacs County?

The median resident of Mille Lacs County is 41.2 years old; 23.1% are under 18 and 18.6% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 88.0%, then non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native residents at 4.2%. 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	Mille Lacs County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	41.2±0.5	38.8	+0.7
Under 18 years	23.1%	22.9%	–
65 years and over	18.6%±0.1 pts	17.3%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	2.3%	6.4%	−0.2 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	88.0%±0.3 pts	75.9%	−0.8 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	0.4%±0.2 pts	6.9%	no clear change
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.9%±0.2 pts	5.1%	+0.4 pts
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	4.2%±0.4 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	3.6%±0.5 pts	4.5%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.5%±0.3 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+)	3.5%±0.7 pts	12.4%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	7.9%±0.9 pts	5.9%	–
With a disability	15.7%±1.2 pts	11.6%	–
No health insurance coverage	4.9%±0.8 pts	4.7%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	91.6%±1.5 pts	93.9%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	18.2%±1.6 pts	39.4%	+3.5 pts
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	5.4%±0.8 pts	13.8%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	0.7%±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 Mille Lacs County earn?

Half of Mille Lacs County's 10,672 households earn less than $72,729 a year (±$3,403), against $89,062 in Minnesota. In 2015-2019 it was $69,085 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 10.4% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Mille Lacs County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$72,729±$3,403	$89,062	no clear change
Mean household income	$90,096±$3,184	$118,304	–
Per capita income	$36,173±$1,238	$48,237	+$2,011
People below the poverty line	10.4%±1.2 pts	9.3%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	12.7%±2.5 pts	10.3%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	11.0%±1.5 pts	7.9%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	87.4%±1.7 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 Mille Lacs County?

Owners occupy 77.9% of Mille Lacs County's occupied homes and renters 22.1%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $258,300 by its owner (±$8,250). The median renter pays $903 a month including utilities, and 34.0% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Mille Lacs County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$258,300±$8,250	$329,300	+$57,328
Median gross rent	$903±$52	$1,280	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	34.0%±7.3 pts	38.4%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,733±$43	$1,947	–
Owner-occupied homes	77.9%±2.0 pts	72.2%	+2.8 pts
Housing units	13,069±57	2,545,030	+155
Homeowner vacancy rate	1.2%±1.1 pts	0.6%	–
Rental vacancy rate	5.9%±3.8 pts	5.3%	–
Single-family detached homes	73.6%±1.8 pts	66.0%	–
Mobile homes	9.9%±1.0 pts	2.9%	–
Built 2020 or later	1.9%±0.4 pts	1.9%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	15.2%±1.8 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 Mille Lacs County building?

Builders took permits for 103 new housing units across Mille Lacs County in 2025 (91 single-family), 3.7 per 1,000 residents.

2019 97 units
2020 104 units
2021 216 units
2022 110 units
2023 64 units
2024 162 units
2025 103 units

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

How do people in Mille Lacs County get to work?

76.4% of Mille Lacs County's workers drive alone and 10.2% work from home. The average trip to work takes 32.0 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 4.0%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Mille Lacs County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	64.3%±1.3 pts	68.1%	–
Unemployment rate	4.0%±0.8 pts	4.1%	−1.9 pts
Drove alone to work	76.4%±1.6 pts	68.9%	–
Carpooled	9.9%±1.3 pts	7.5%	–
Public transportation	0.4%±0.2 pts	1.8%	–
Walked	2.1%±0.5 pts	2.5%	–
Worked from home	10.2%±1.1 pts	17.6%	+4.8 pts
Mean travel time to work	32.0 min±1.6	22.7 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 are Mille Lacs County's census tracts?

Mille Lacs County is divided into 7 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $55,625 (Tract 9702) to $103,352 (Tract 1706).

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

Tract 170427095170400	Foreston (10%)	5,510	5,527±302	$86,774	$267,800	$1,281	5.2%
Tract 170527095170500	Milaca (52%)	4,541	4,983±244	$62,396	$241,600	$848	12.0%
Tract 170627095170600	–	2,851	2,844±254	$103,352	$327,900	$1,114	5.7%
Tract 170727095170700	Princeton (79%)	5,765	6,002±279	$63,981	$236,400	$979	10.0%
Tract 970127095970100	Isle (30%)	2,179	2,203±146	$61,603	$244,300	$824	12.6%
Tract 970227095970200	Onamia (26%)	2,885	2,700±182	$55,625	$191,100	$835	22.0%
Tract 970327095970300	–	2,728	2,866±202	$78,409	$310,500	$956	10.9%

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

How does Mille Lacs County compare with Minnesota's other counties?

Mille Lacs County's rank among Minnesota's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	39th of 87
Growth 2020-2025	9th of 87
Residents per square mile	29th of 87
Median household income	50th of 87
Median home value	30th of 87
Median gross rent	42nd of 87
Poverty rate	42nd of 87
Bachelor's degree or higher	78th of 87
Median age	49th 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 Mille Lacs 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.