Local Census Results
Today I stumbled across the 2020 Census Bureau estimates which are now available online. It's super boring in general but I think some of the local results were interesting.
That link takes you to a state-by-state database but if you're wondering about Lakes Country, let me save you some time with a summary of 2010-2020 population for most cities and counties in the area. This data is not formatted for mobile so if you're reading this on a phone, stop here because it's about to get ugly!
2010 Pop. 2020 Pop. Change # Change %
Perham 3,009 3,638 +629 +20.9
Detroit Lakes 8,723 9,255 +532 +6.1
Fergus Falls 13,433 13,758 +325 +2.4
Frazee 1,352 1,381 +29 +2.1
Park Rapids 3,853 4,335 +482 +12.5
Alexandria 12,502 13,885 +1,383 +11.1
Wadena 4,072 4,121 +49 +1.2
New York Mills 1,196 1,220 +24 +2.0
Pelican Rapids 2,461 2,634 +173 +7.0
Ottertail 579 660 +81 +14.0
Battle Lake 874 929 +55 +6.3
Audubon 519 517 -2 -0.3
Vergas 331 354 +23 +6.9
Walker 945 928 -17 -1.8
Nisswa 1,968 2,115 +147 +7.5
Brainerd 13,585 13,449 -136 -1.0
Bemidji 14,289 15,452 +1,163 +8.1
Otter Tail County 57,291 58,741 +1,450 +2.5
Becker Co 32,554 34,456 +1,902 +5.8
Hubbard Co 20,427 21,783 +1,356 +6.6
Wadena Co 13,816 13,807 -9 -0.0%
Todd Co 24,894 24,732 -162 -0.1%
Douglas Co 35,990 38,328 2,338 +6.5%
My key takeaway is that Perham, Park Rapids, and Alexandria are the only cities to post growth over 10%. Why? In my opinion, it's their combination of tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, nice schools, and good healthcare. That seems like a good recipe for growth. I think manufacturing is especially important because it requires large numbers of people. What stands out for you?
