Meeker County, Minnesota: commercial real estate data.
Meeker County, Minnesota has a population of 23,468 across 608 square miles, up 0.4 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.59 bn in 2024, 606 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 23 7(a) approvals worth $7.4 m.
122 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Meeker County
How many people live in Meeker County
- Population23,468
- Households9,347
- Average household size2.51
- Median household income$75,446
- Median age42.2
- Median gross rent$904 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$249,000
- Home value to household income3.3 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income14.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher19.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree6.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over16,222
- Population under 185,522
- Share under 1823.5 percent
- Population 65 and over4,934
- Share 65 and over21.0 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6413,012
- Civilian labor force12,086
- Unemployment rate3.2 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over67.3 percent
- Rank by population among Minnesota counties43rd of 87
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1712th
Meeker County is the 43rd largest of 87 Minnesota counties by population. A median home costs 3.3 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 23.5 percent against 21.0 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Meeker County
Is Meeker County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base0.39 percent
- Census 2020 base population23,399
- Births, 2024239
- Deaths, 2024229
- Natural change, 202410
- Net domestic migration, 2024-33
- Net international migration, 202428
- Total net migration, 2024-5
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-3
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1679th
The county has grown 0.39 percent since the 2020 census base. Births exceeded deaths in 2024 but more people left than arrived, so the population is being sustained internally rather than attracting.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Meeker County
Where people moving to Meeker County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving577
- People arriving, from those returns1,086
- Adjusted gross income arriving$38.8 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$67,172
- Largest single originMeeker County Non-migrants (9,213 households)
- Largest single destination (9,213 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meeker County Non-migrants | 9,213 | 19,615 | $798.3 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 128 | 235 | $8.0 m |
| Stearns County | 103 | 210 | $6.2 m |
| Wright County | 103 | 218 | $7.8 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 87 | 136 | $4.5 m |
| McLeod County | 70 | 118 | $4.0 m |
| Hennepin County | 44 | 76 | $4.1 m |
| Kandiyohi County | 42 | 93 | $4.2 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Meeker 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.
Meeker County
What the Meeker County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$1.59 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.56 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20241.6 percent
- GDP change over five years36.0 percent
- Rank by GDP among Minnesota counties40th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1465th
- GDP per resident$67,570
Output grew 1.6 percent in the latest year and 36.0 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.
Meeker County
Who employs people in Meeker County
- Covered employment, annual average8,042
- Establishments reporting708
- Average annual pay$53,874
- Average weekly wage$1,036
- Sector 31-33, employment2,229
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$65,432
- Sector 44-45, employment847
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$36,175
- Sector 23, employment539
- Sector 23, average annual pay$68,338
- Sector 72, employment459
- Sector 72, average annual pay$17,884
- Sector 42, employment384
- Sector 54, employment241
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 2,229 | 62 | $65,432 |
| Sector 44-45 | 847 | 68 | $36,175 |
| Sector 23 | 539 | 102 | $68,338 |
| Sector 72 | 459 | 43 | $17,884 |
| Sector 42 | 384 | 24 | $69,703 |
| Sector 54 | 241 | 45 | $62,433 |
| Sector 81 | 193 | 75 | $32,507 |
| Sector 52 | 180 | 30 | $74,132 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 2,229 jobs, 27.7 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.
Meeker County
What businesses operate in Meeker County
- Establishments, all industries606
- Employment at those establishments6,775
- Annual payroll$366.2 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents25.8
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.
Meeker County
What is being built in Meeker County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202471
- Declared construction value permitted$20.9 m
- Single family units authorised66
- Multifamily units authorised5
- Multifamily share of units7.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$294,534
- Units authorised per 1,000 households7.6
Multifamily is 7.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Meeker County
How much SBA lending happens in Meeker County
- 7(a) approvals recorded23
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$7.4 m
- Average 7(a) approval$323,174
- Median 7(a) approval$173,700
- 10th percentile approval$50,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,000,000
- Largest single approval$1,185,600
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)131
- Jobs per approval5.7
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active12
- Distinct industries receiving approvals18
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer17.4 percent
- Loans on real estate terms4
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter16
- Franchise loans3
- Franchise share of approvals13.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countSnack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (3)
- Most active lenderCitizens Bank & Trust Co (6)
- 504 approvals recorded17
- 504 gross approval dollars$11.4 m
- Average 504 approval$670,235
- Median 504 approval$366,000
- Distinct CDCs active3
- 504 jobs per approval9.9
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved14.8
- Most active CDCMidwest Business Finance Corporation (14)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals57.5 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$18.8 m
The average approval of $323,174 sits well above the median of $173,700, 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 17.4 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.
Meeker County
Do SBA loans in Meeker County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded11
- Paid in full11
- Charged off0
- Charge off rate on resolved loans0.0 percent
- Status: Paid in full11
- Status: Exempt from disclosure10
- Status: Cancelled1
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed1
Of the 11 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.
Meeker County
Which parts of Meeker County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending8
- LITCHFIELD, approvals6
- EDEN VALLEY, approvals4
- DARWIN, approvals3
- DASSEL, approvals3
- HUTCHINSON, approvals2
- PAYNESVILLE, approvals2
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| LITCHFIELD | 6 | $3,693,700 |
| EDEN VALLEY | 4 | $1,594,300 |
| DARWIN | 3 | $390,000 |
| DASSEL | 3 | $360,000 |
| HUTCHINSON | 2 | $250,000 |
| PAYNESVILLE | 2 | $700,000 |
| WATKINS | 2 | $110,000 |
| COSMOS | 1 | $335,000 |
LITCHFIELD accounts for 6 approvals against 4 in EDEN VALLEY. 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.
Meeker County
How big is Meeker County
- Land area608 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Minnesota counties52nd of 87
- Width, east to west24.8 mi
- Height, north to south30 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land39
- Establishments per square mile1.00
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 Meeker 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 Meeker County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population23,468
- Households9,347
- Average household size2.51
- Median household income$75,446
- Median age42.2
Common questions
Meeker County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Meeker County, Minnesota?
23,468, in 9,347 households, ranking 43rd of 87 Minnesota counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Meeker County growing?
The population has grown 0.39 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 239 births against 229 deaths, with net migration of -5. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Meeker County?
$75,446. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $249,000, which is 3.3 times income, and median gross rent is $904 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Meeker County?
606 establishments, employing 6,775 people with an annual payroll of $366.2 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Meeker County?
Average annual pay is $53,874, or $1,036 a week, across 8,042 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Meeker County?
23 7(a) approvals totalling $7.4 m since FY2020, across 12 lenders, with a median approval of $173,700, plus 17 504 approvals worth $11.4 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Meeker County get paid back?
Of the 11 loans that have reached a final outcome, 11 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 Meeker County?
71 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $20.9 m. Multifamily was 7.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Meeker 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 Meeker County come from?
The largest single origin is Meeker County Non-migrants, with 9,213 households. Arriving households report an average income of $67,172 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 Meeker 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 Meeker 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.