HomeMinnesotaBlue Earth County
Blue Earth County, Minnesota: commercial real estate data.
Blue Earth County, Minnesota has a population of 69,871 across 748 square miles, up 2.3 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $5.64 bn in 2024, 1,992 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 121 7(a) approvals worth $37.4 m.
123 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Blue Earth County
How many people live in Blue Earth County
- Population69,871
- Households27,606
- Average household size2.53
- Median household income$74,477
- Median age31.6
- Median gross rent$1,123 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$266,700
- Home value to household income3.6 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher34.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree11.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over40,881
- Population under 1813,786
- Share under 1819.7 percent
- Population 65 and over10,656
- Share 65 and over15.3 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6445,429
- Civilian labor force39,969
- Unemployment rate4.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over71.3 percent
- Rank by population among Minnesota counties13th of 87
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents790th
Blue Earth County is the 13th largest of 87 Minnesota counties by population. A median home costs 3.6 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 19.7 percent against 15.3 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Blue Earth County
Is Blue Earth County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.31 percent
- Census 2020 base population69,103
- Births, 2024665
- Deaths, 2024537
- Natural change, 2024128
- Net domestic migration, 2024-374
- Net international migration, 2024548
- Total net migration, 2024174
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-460
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1072nd
The county has grown 2.31 percent since the 2020 census base. Migration contributed more to 2024 change than births over deaths, so demand here follows people arriving rather than families forming.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Blue Earth County
Where people moving to Blue Earth County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving2,185
- People arriving, from those returns3,466
- Adjusted gross income arriving$139.9 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$64,024
- Largest single originBlue Earth County Non-migrants (24,539 households)
- Largest single destination (24,539 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Earth County Non-migrants | 24,539 | 47,725 | $2.22 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 602 | 976 | $45.8 m |
| Nicollet County | 386 | 685 | $28.5 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 278 | 428 | $17.5 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 258 | 377 | $11.3 m |
| Other flows - West | 151 | 241 | $9.0 m |
| Hennepin County | 139 | 216 | $6.3 m |
| Other flows - South | 138 | 249 | $16.4 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Blue Earth County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Blue Earth County
What the Blue Earth County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$5.64 bn
- County GDP, 2023$5.23 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20247.9 percent
- GDP change over five years34.5 percent
- Rank by GDP among Minnesota counties12th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents670th
- GDP per resident$80,730
Output grew 7.9 percent in the latest year and 34.5 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Blue Earth County
Who employs people in Blue Earth County
- Covered employment, annual average41,255
- Establishments reporting2,150
- Average annual pay$56,997
- Average weekly wage$1,096
- Sector 62, employment9,632
- Sector 62, average annual pay$61,789
- Sector 44-45, employment5,602
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$34,160
- Sector 31-33, employment4,348
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$75,936
- Sector 72, employment4,084
- Sector 72, average annual pay$21,164
- Sector 23, employment1,941
- Sector 81, employment1,546
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 9,632 | 358 | $61,789 |
| Sector 44-45 | 5,602 | 286 | $34,160 |
| Sector 31-33 | 4,348 | 80 | $75,936 |
| Sector 72 | 4,084 | 182 | $21,164 |
| Sector 23 | 1,941 | 239 | $78,259 |
| Sector 81 | 1,546 | 182 | $40,933 |
| Sector 48-49 | 1,457 | 74 | $54,147 |
| Sector 52 | 1,236 | 124 | $92,850 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 9,632 jobs, 23.3 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Blue Earth County
What businesses operate in Blue Earth County
- Establishments, all industries1,992
- Employment at those establishments35,883
- Annual payroll$1.81 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents28.5
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Blue Earth County
What is being built in Blue Earth County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024271
- Declared construction value permitted$66.3 m
- Single family units authorised81
- Multifamily units authorised190
- Multifamily share of units70.1 percent
- Average declared value per unit$244,781
- Units authorised per 1,000 households9.8
Multifamily is 70.1 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Blue Earth County
How much SBA lending happens in Blue Earth County
- 7(a) approvals recorded121
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$37.4 m
- Average 7(a) approval$309,167
- Median 7(a) approval$135,000
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$641,000
- Largest single approval$4,750,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)1,150
- Jobs per approval9.5
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active25
- Distinct industries receiving approvals70
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer9.9 percent
- Loans on real estate terms12
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter104
- Franchise loans15
- Franchise share of approvals12.4 percent
- Leading industry by approval countLimited-Service Restaurants (8)
- Most active lenderBankVista (20)
- 504 approvals recorded75
- 504 gross approval dollars$57.7 m
- Average 504 approval$768,880
- Median 504 approval$475,000
- Distinct CDCs active6
- 504 jobs per approval6.9
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved9.0
- Most active CDCMidwest Business Finance Corporation (42)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals61.7 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$95.1 m
The average approval of $309,167 sits well above the median of $135,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 9.9 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Blue Earth County
Do SBA loans in Blue Earth County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded33
- Paid in full32
- Charged off1
- Charge off rate on resolved loans3.0 percent
- Status: Paid in full32
- Status: Cancelled8
- Status: Exempt from disclosure77
- Status: Charged off1
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed3
Of the 33 loans that have reached a final outcome, 3.0 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Blue Earth County
Which parts of Blue Earth County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending7
- MANKATO, approvals100
- Lake Crystal, approvals8
- Mapleton, approvals5
- Madison Lake, approvals4
- EAGLE LAKE, approvals2
- Manakato, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| MANKATO | 100 | $32,610,000 |
| Lake Crystal | 8 | $782,200 |
| Mapleton | 5 | $1,626,000 |
| Madison Lake | 4 | $1,709,600 |
| EAGLE LAKE | 2 | $443,100 |
| Manakato | 1 | $75,000 |
| GOOD THUNDER | 1 | $163,300 |
MANKATO accounts for 100 approvals against 8 in Lake Crystal. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Blue Earth County
How big is Blue Earth County
- Land area748 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Minnesota counties34th of 87
- Width, east to west30 mi
- Height, north to south28.8 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary7
- Residents per square mile of land93
- Establishments per square mile2.66
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Blue Earth County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Blue Earth County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population69,871
- Households27,606
- Average household size2.53
- Median household income$74,477
- Median age31.6
Common questions
Blue Earth County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Blue Earth County, Minnesota?
69,871, in 27,606 households, ranking 13th of 87 Minnesota counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Blue Earth County growing?
The population has grown 2.31 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 665 births against 537 deaths, with net migration of 174. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Blue Earth County?
$74,477. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $266,700, which is 3.6 times income, and median gross rent is $1,123 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Blue Earth County?
1,992 establishments, employing 35,883 people with an annual payroll of $1.81 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Blue Earth County?
Average annual pay is $56,997, or $1,096 a week, across 41,255 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Blue Earth County?
121 7(a) approvals totalling $37.4 m since FY2020, across 25 lenders, with a median approval of $135,000, plus 75 504 approvals worth $57.7 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Blue Earth County get paid back?
Of the 33 loans that have reached a final outcome, 32 were paid in full and 1 charged off, a charge off rate of 3.0 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Blue Earth County?
271 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $66.3 m. Multifamily was 70.1 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Blue Earth County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Blue Earth County come from?
The largest single origin is Blue Earth County Non-migrants, with 24,539 households. Arriving households report an average income of $64,024 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Blue Earth County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Blue Earth County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.