Douglas County, Minnesota: commercial real estate data.
Douglas County, Minnesota has a population of 39,575 across 637 square miles, up 2.4 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $2.86 bn in 2024, 1,394 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 94 7(a) approvals worth $41.6 m.
122 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Douglas County
How many people live in Douglas County
- Population39,575
- Households17,519
- Average household size2.26
- Median household income$79,043
- Median age44.5
- Median gross rent$927 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$321,400
- Home value to household income4.1 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income14.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher29.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree9.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over28,410
- Population under 188,482
- Share under 1821.4 percent
- Population 65 and over9,644
- Share 65 and over24.4 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6421,449
- Civilian labor force20,161
- Unemployment rate2.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over64.8 percent
- Rank by population among Minnesota counties27th of 87
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1219th
Douglas County is the 27th largest of 87 Minnesota counties by population. A median home costs 4.1 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 24.4 percent against 21.4 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Douglas County
Is Douglas County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.40 percent
- Census 2020 base population38,998
- Births, 2024387
- Deaths, 2024480
- Natural change, 2024-93
- Net domestic migration, 2024119
- Net international migration, 202434
- Total net migration, 2024153
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20241,104
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1035th
The county has grown 2.40 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Douglas County
Where people moving to Douglas County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving996
- People arriving, from those returns1,689
- Adjusted gross income arriving$81.6 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$81,953
- Largest single originDouglas County Non-migrants (16,298 households)
- Largest single destination (16,298 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas County Non-migrants | 16,298 | 33,251 | $1.48 bn |
| Other flows - Same State | 293 | 503 | $20.3 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 206 | 355 | $17.7 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 101 | 158 | $6.7 m |
| Stearns County | 83 | 133 | $5.2 m |
| Hennepin County | 79 | 124 | $16.2 m |
| Todd County | 61 | 100 | $2.9 m |
| Pope County | 56 | 95 | $2.8 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Douglas 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.
Douglas County
What the Douglas County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$2.86 bn
- County GDP, 2023$2.76 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20243.5 percent
- GDP change over five years36.4 percent
- Rank by GDP among Minnesota counties23rd
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1014th
- GDP per resident$72,262
Output grew 3.5 percent in the latest year and 36.4 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.
Douglas County
Who employs people in Douglas County
- Covered employment, annual average19,527
- Establishments reporting1,499
- Average annual pay$57,062
- Average weekly wage$1,097
- Sector 31-33, employment3,672
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$73,382
- Sector 44-45, employment2,576
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$35,296
- Sector 62, employment2,290
- Sector 62, average annual pay$59,270
- Sector 72, employment1,948
- Sector 72, average annual pay$22,428
- Sector 23, employment1,250
- Sector 42, employment919
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 3,672 | 91 | $73,382 |
| Sector 44-45 | 2,576 | 193 | $35,296 |
| Sector 62 | 2,290 | 161 | $59,270 |
| Sector 72 | 1,948 | 121 | $22,428 |
| Sector 23 | 1,250 | 200 | $77,735 |
| Sector 42 | 919 | 67 | $71,062 |
| Sector 81 | 758 | 147 | $35,696 |
| Sector 52 | 544 | 86 | $120,166 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 3,672 jobs, 18.8 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.
Douglas County
What businesses operate in Douglas County
- Establishments, all industries1,394
- Employment at those establishments18,208
- Annual payroll$1.01 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents35.2
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.
Douglas County
What is being built in Douglas County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024285
- Declared construction value permitted$83.8 m
- Single family units authorised191
- Multifamily units authorised94
- Multifamily share of units33.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$294,039
- Units authorised per 1,000 households16.3
Multifamily is 33.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Douglas County
How much SBA lending happens in Douglas County
- 7(a) approvals recorded94
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$41.6 m
- Average 7(a) approval$442,554
- Median 7(a) approval$145,000
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$947,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)833
- Jobs per approval8.9
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active24
- Distinct industries receiving approvals54
- Median 7(a) term84 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer2.1 percent
- Loans on real estate terms2
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter84
- Franchise loans6
- Franchise share of approvals6.4 percent
- Leading industry by approval countPower and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction (7)
- Most active lenderVantage Bank (26)
- 504 approvals recorded72
- 504 gross approval dollars$45.2 m
- Average 504 approval$628,306
- Median 504 approval$455,000
- Distinct CDCs active4
- 504 jobs per approval8.3
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved13.3
- Most active CDCMidwest Business Finance Corporation (48)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals56.6 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$86.8 m
The average approval of $442,554 sits well above the median of $145,000, 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 2.1 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.
Douglas County
Do SBA loans in Douglas County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded36
- Paid in full36
- Charged off0
- Charge off rate on resolved loans0.0 percent
- Status: Paid in full36
- Status: Cancelled9
- Status: Exempt from disclosure47
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed2
Of the 36 loans that have reached a final outcome, 0.0 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.
Douglas County
Which parts of Douglas County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending9
- ALEXANDRIA, approvals75
- Osakis, approvals7
- GARFIELD, approvals5
- BRANDON, approvals2
- NELSON, approvals1
- CARLOS, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| ALEXANDRIA | 75 | $28,168,800 |
| Osakis | 7 | $2,613,000 |
| GARFIELD | 5 | $6,496,300 |
| BRANDON | 2 | $3,956,000 |
| NELSON | 1 | $41,000 |
| CARLOS | 1 | $200,000 |
| KENSINGTON | 1 | $25,000 |
| VILLARD | 1 | $50,000 |
ALEXANDRIA accounts for 75 approvals against 7 in Osakis. 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.
Douglas County
How big is Douglas County
- Land area637 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Minnesota counties48th of 87
- Width, east to west30.3 mi
- Height, north to south24.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land62
- Establishments per square mile2.19
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 Douglas 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 Douglas County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population39,575
- Households17,519
- Average household size2.26
- Median household income$79,043
- Median age44.5
Common questions
Douglas County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Douglas County, Minnesota?
39,575, in 17,519 households, ranking 27th of 87 Minnesota counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Douglas County growing?
The population has grown 2.40 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 387 births against 480 deaths, with net migration of 153. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Douglas County?
$79,043. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $321,400, which is 4.1 times income, and median gross rent is $927 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Douglas County?
1,394 establishments, employing 18,208 people with an annual payroll of $1.01 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 Douglas County?
Average annual pay is $57,062, or $1,097 a week, across 19,527 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Douglas County?
94 7(a) approvals totalling $41.6 m since FY2020, across 24 lenders, with a median approval of $145,000, plus 72 504 approvals worth $45.2 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Douglas County get paid back?
Of the 36 loans that have reached a final outcome, 36 were paid in full and 0 charged off, a charge off rate of 0.0 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Douglas County?
285 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $83.8 m. Multifamily was 33.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Douglas 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 Douglas County come from?
The largest single origin is Douglas County Non-migrants, with 16,298 households. Arriving households report an average income of $81,953 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 Douglas 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 Douglas 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.