County · Minnesota

Pennington County, Minnesota

Pennington County, Minnesota. Pennington County had 13,686 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 2.2% since 2020, while Minnesota grew 2.2%. It holds 24 places (3 cities, villages and boroughs and 21 towns and townships) and 5 census tracts. GEOID 27113.

Residents, July 2025 estimate

13,686

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 13,992 · ACS 2020-2024: 13,791

Median household income

$77,325

±$5,217 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $89,062

Median home value

$195,500

±$10,083 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $329,300

Median gross rent

$862

±$67 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $1,280

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

The 2020 Census counted 13,992 residents in Pennington County. The Census Bureau estimates 13,686 for July 1, 2025, down 2.2% since 2020, while Minnesota grew 2.2%. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 13,791 over 617 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −156 (13,786)
2021→2022 +40 (13,826)
2022→2023 −92 (13,734)
2023→2024 +16 (13,750)
2024→2025 −64 (13,686)

Pennington County in Minnesota. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Pennington County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	13,791	5,739,445	−392
Households	6,207±199	2,307,955	no clear change
Average household size	2.17±0.07	2.43	−0.15
Housing units	6,799±33	2,545,030	+257

Pennington County's population since 2000

From 13,584 in 2000 to 13,686 in 2025: up 0.8%. 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 13,584
2005 (estimate) 13,639
2010 Census 13,930
2015 (estimate) 14,258
2020 Census 13,992
2025 (estimate) 13,686

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 Pennington County?

Pennington County holds 24 places: 3 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 21 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government). The largest is Thief River Falls with 8,799 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 Pennington County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Thief River Falls	city	8,749	8,823±31	$71,144	$175,400	12.2%	100%
Rocksbury Township	township	1,102	1,201±201	$112,548	$231,600	7.5%	100%
North Township	township	761	520±110	$87,083	$254,500	11.9%	100%
Smiley Township	township	620	471±76	$90,893	$271,400	2.1%	100%
Norden Township	township	369	470±111	$100,000	$223,900	1.3%	100%
Sanders Township	township	298	198±47	$101,094	$250,000	7.1%	100%
St. HilaireGEOID 2757022	city	273	259±97	$75,000	$179,500	5.4%	100%
Highlanding TownshipGEOID 2711329024	township	202	200±71	$91,563	$190,500	7.0%	100%
River Falls TownshipGEOID 2711354574	township	191	222±70	$78,750	$272,500	16.2%	100%
Silverton TownshipGEOID 2711360448	township	187	265±128	not published	$225,000	5.7%	100%
Kratka Township	township	145	216±61	$57,917	$416,700	2.8%	100%
Deer Park TownshipGEOID 2711315292	township	128	94±30	$88,750	$166,700	2.1%	100%
GoodridgeGEOID 2724470	city	112	49±23	$41,042	$57,000	16.3%	100%
Star TownshipGEOID 2711362482	township	101	61±28	$60,000	$181,300	8.2%	100%
Numedal TownshipGEOID 2711347590	township	97	161±61	$111,250	$225,000	1.2%	100%
Reiner TownshipGEOID 2711353746	township	92	127±78	$86,250	$283,300	4.7%	100%
Wyandotte TownshipGEOID 2711371878	township	92	63±24	$63,125	$225,000	3.2%	100%
Cloverleaf TownshipGEOID 2711312304	township	90	82±31	$65,750	$184,400	22.0%	100%
Goodridge TownshipGEOID 2711324488	township	79	39±20	$141,250	not published	0.0%	100%
Hickory TownshipGEOID 2711328808	township	69	98±65	$46,250	not published	60.2%	100%
Black River TownshipGEOID 2711306364	township	67	29±11	$71,250	$225,000	3.4%	100%
Polk Centre TownshipGEOID 2711351802	township	66	37±16	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Bray TownshipGEOID 2711307444	township	53	62±37	$158,750	$181,300	0.0%	100%
Mayfield TownshipGEOID 2711341156	township	49	44±17	$93,750	$225,000	9.3%	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 Pennington County?

The median resident of Pennington County is 39.6 years old; 20.8% are under 18 and 19.3% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 87.8%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 4.9%. 3.6% 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	Pennington County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	39.6±0.7	38.8	no clear change
Under 18 years	20.8%±0.4 pts	22.9%	–
65 years and over	19.3%±0.3 pts	17.3%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	4.9%	6.4%	+1.1 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	87.8%±0.8 pts	75.9%	−2.9 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	0.6%±0.4 pts	6.9%	–
Asian alone, not Hispanic	1.5%±0.2 pts	5.1%	+0.3 pts
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.4%±0.3 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	4.2%±1.0 pts	4.5%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.5%±0.4 pts	0.5%	–
Born outside the United States	3.6%±0.9 pts	8.7%	+1.3 pts
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	5.8%±1.3 pts	12.4%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	5.6%±1.1 pts	5.9%	–
With a disability	15.4%±1.7 pts	11.6%	–
No health insurance coverage	4.8%±1.3 pts	4.7%	+2.3 pts
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	94.8%±1.6 pts	93.9%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	21.0%±2.3 pts	39.4%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	5.5%±1.2 pts	13.8%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	1.5%±0.8 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 Pennington County earn?

Half of Pennington County's 6,207 households earn less than $77,325 a year (±$5,217), against $89,062 in Minnesota. In 2015-2019 it was $73,992 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 10.5% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Pennington County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$77,325±$5,217	$89,062	no clear change
Mean household income	$93,104±$4,848	$118,304	–
Per capita income	$41,551±$2,185	$48,237	+$3,204
People below the poverty line	10.5%±2.1 pts	9.3%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	12.2%±4.5 pts	10.3%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	7.2%±1.8 pts	7.9%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	88.2%±2.2 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 Pennington County?

Owners occupy 72.2% of Pennington County's occupied homes and renters 27.8%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $195,500 by its owner (±$10,083). The median renter pays $862 a month including utilities, and 26.1% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Pennington County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$195,500±$10,083	$329,300	no clear change
Median gross rent	$862±$67	$1,280	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	26.1%±6.7 pts	38.4%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,458±$60	$1,947	–
Owner-occupied homes	72.2%±2.9 pts	72.2%	no clear change
Housing units	6,799±33	2,545,030	+257
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.1%±0.2 pts	0.6%	–
Rental vacancy rate	4.5%±3.9 pts	5.3%	–
Single-family detached homes	65.5%±2.6 pts	66.0%	–
Mobile homes	8.9%±1.5 pts	2.9%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.6%±0.4 pts	1.9%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	21.4%±2.7 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 Pennington County building?

Builders took permits for 1 new housing units across Pennington County in 2025 (1 single-family), 0.1 per 1,000 residents.

2019 40 units
2020 97 units
2021 147 units
2022 8 units
2023 8 units
2024 10 units
2025 1 units

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

How do people in Pennington County get to work?

74.8% of Pennington County's workers drive alone and 9.9% work from home. The average trip to work takes 12.4 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 2.9%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Pennington County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	69.0%±1.8 pts	68.1%	–
Unemployment rate	2.9%±0.9 pts	4.1%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	74.8%±2.7 pts	68.9%	–
Carpooled	9.4%±2.0 pts	7.5%	–
Public transportation	0.4%±0.4 pts	1.8%	–
Walked	2.3%±1.0 pts	2.5%	–
Worked from home	9.9%±1.6 pts	17.6%	+6.4 pts
Mean travel time to work	12.4 min±0.9	22.7 min	−1.8 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 Pennington County's census tracts?

Pennington County is divided into 5 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $65,663 (Tract 904) to $103,500 (Tract 903).

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

Tract 90127113090100	Goodridge (5%)	2,411	2,165±168	$81,944	$242,800	$1,072	9.2%
Tract 90227113090200	Thief River Falls (87%)	2,548	2,454±215	$77,938	$214,500	$878	14.9%
Tract 90327113090300	St. Hilaire (12%)	2,122	2,138±179	$103,500	$225,300	$1,120	4.8%
Tract 90427113090400	Thief River Falls (87%)	2,932	3,021±310	$65,663	$179,500	$809	8.7%
Tract 90527113090500	Thief River Falls (91%)	3,979	4,013±288	$74,330	$165,000	$816	12.8%

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

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

Pennington County's rank among Minnesota's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	60th of 87
Growth 2020-2025	76th of 87
Residents per square mile	51st of 87
Median household income	28th of 87
Median home value	57th of 87
Median gross rent	55th of 87
Poverty rate	40th of 87
Bachelor's degree or higher	63rd of 87
Median age	64th 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 Pennington 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.