HomeMinnesotaOtter Tail County
Otter Tail County, Minnesota: commercial real estate data.
Otter Tail County, Minnesota has a population of 60,475 across 1,972 square miles, up 1.4 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $3.28 bn in 2024, 1,730 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 99 7(a) approvals worth $37.8 m.
122 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Otter Tail County
How many people live in Otter Tail County
- Population60,475
- Households25,157
- Average household size2.40
- Median household income$72,255
- Median age46.2
- Median gross rent$868 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$273,000
- Home value to household income3.8 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income14.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher28.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree9.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over43,482
- Population under 1813,137
- Share under 1821.7 percent
- Population 65 and over15,374
- Share 65 and over25.4 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6431,964
- Civilian labor force29,673
- Unemployment rate4.8 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over62.7 percent
- Rank by population among Minnesota counties17th of 87
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents889th
Otter Tail County is the 17th largest of 87 Minnesota counties by population. A median home costs 3.8 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 25.4 percent against 21.7 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.
Otter Tail County
Is Otter Tail County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base1.37 percent
- Census 2020 base population60,061
- Births, 2024574
- Deaths, 2024743
- Natural change, 2024-169
- Net domestic migration, 2024223
- Net international migration, 2024149
- Total net migration, 2024372
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20241,183
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1376th
The county has grown 1.37 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.
Otter Tail County
Where people moving to Otter Tail County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving1,429
- People arriving, from those returns2,602
- Adjusted gross income arriving$109.7 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$76,792
- Largest single originOtter Tail County Non-migrants (24,209 households)
- Largest single destination (24,209 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otter Tail County Non-migrants | 24,209 | 49,658 | $1.87 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 375 | 698 | $29.5 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 275 | 499 | $22.7 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 169 | 303 | $12.3 m |
| Cass County | 138 | 231 | $13.4 m |
| Other flows - West | 126 | 239 | $11.3 m |
| Clay County | 109 | 219 | $7.4 m |
| Becker County | 106 | 215 | $6.5 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Otter Tail 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.
Otter Tail County
What the Otter Tail County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$3.28 bn
- County GDP, 2023$3.14 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.5 percent
- GDP change over five years31.6 percent
- Rank by GDP among Minnesota counties17th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents920th
- GDP per resident$54,319
Output grew 4.5 percent in the latest year and 31.6 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.
Otter Tail County
Who employs people in Otter Tail County
- Covered employment, annual average22,910
- Establishments reporting1,908
- Average annual pay$52,013
- Average weekly wage$1,000
- Sector 31-33, employment3,878
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$61,541
- Sector 44-45, employment2,631
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$33,299
- Sector 72, employment1,984
- Sector 72, average annual pay$19,902
- Sector 23, employment1,236
- Sector 23, average annual pay$62,182
- Sector 56, employment778
- Sector 81, employment754
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 3,878 | 87 | $61,541 |
| Sector 44-45 | 2,631 | 242 | $33,299 |
| Sector 72 | 1,984 | 176 | $19,902 |
| Sector 23 | 1,236 | 281 | $62,182 |
| Sector 56 | 778 | 76 | $49,746 |
| Sector 81 | 754 | 164 | $33,450 |
| Sector 42 | 647 | 61 | $63,376 |
| Sector 22 | 494 | 8 | $109,512 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 3,878 jobs, 16.9 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.
Otter Tail County
What businesses operate in Otter Tail County
- Establishments, all industries1,730
- Employment at those establishments18,813
- Annual payroll$928.5 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents28.6
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.
Otter Tail County
What is being built in Otter Tail County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202489
- Declared construction value permitted$25.1 m
- Single family units authorised71
- Multifamily units authorised18
- Multifamily share of units20.2 percent
- Average declared value per unit$281,941
- Units authorised per 1,000 households3.5
Multifamily is 20.2 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Otter Tail County
How much SBA lending happens in Otter Tail County
- 7(a) approvals recorded99
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$37.8 m
- Average 7(a) approval$381,380
- Median 7(a) approval$153,600
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$782,000
- Largest single approval$4,250,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)953
- Jobs per approval9.6
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active32
- Distinct industries receiving approvals55
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer18.2 percent
- Loans on real estate terms18
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter77
- Franchise loans8
- Franchise share of approvals8.1 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (6)
- Most active lenderUnited Community Bank (20)
- 504 approvals recorded63
- 504 gross approval dollars$35.2 m
- Average 504 approval$558,587
- Median 504 approval$331,000
- Distinct CDCs active7
- 504 jobs per approval5.1
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved9.1
- Most active CDCMidwest Business Finance Corporation (44)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals61.1 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$72.9 m
The average approval of $381,380 sits well above the median of $153,600, 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 18.2 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.
Otter Tail County
Do SBA loans in Otter Tail County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded27
- Paid in full26
- Charged off1
- Charge off rate on resolved loans3.7 percent
- Status: Paid in full26
- Status: Exempt from disclosure66
- Status: Cancelled6
- Status: Charged off1
Of the 27 loans that have reached a final outcome, 3.7 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.
Otter Tail County
Which parts of Otter Tail County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending16
- PERHAM, approvals32
- FERGUS FALLS, approvals16
- NEW YORK MILLS, approvals13
- BATTLE LAKE, approvals8
- Vergas, approvals5
- OTTERTAIL, approvals5
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| PERHAM | 32 | $12,566,600 |
| FERGUS FALLS | 16 | $11,660,900 |
| NEW YORK MILLS | 13 | $3,219,900 |
| BATTLE LAKE | 8 | $2,845,800 |
| Vergas | 5 | $722,300 |
| OTTERTAIL | 5 | $383,500 |
| DENT | 3 | $1,535,000 |
| HENNING | 3 | $1,075,000 |
PERHAM accounts for 32 approvals against 16 in FERGUS FALLS. 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.
Otter Tail County
How big is Otter Tail County
- Land area1,972 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Minnesota counties7th of 87
- Width, east to west54.1 mi
- Height, north to south42.2 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary7
- Residents per square mile of land31
- Establishments per square mile0.88
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 Otter Tail 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 Otter Tail County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population60,475
- Households25,157
- Average household size2.40
- Median household income$72,255
- Median age46.2
Common questions
Otter Tail County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Otter Tail County, Minnesota?
60,475, in 25,157 households, ranking 17th of 87 Minnesota counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Otter Tail County growing?
The population has grown 1.37 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 574 births against 743 deaths, with net migration of 372. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Otter Tail County?
$72,255. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $273,000, which is 3.8 times income, and median gross rent is $868 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Otter Tail County?
1,730 establishments, employing 18,813 people with an annual payroll of $928.5 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 Otter Tail County?
Average annual pay is $52,013, or $1,000 a week, across 22,910 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Otter Tail County?
99 7(a) approvals totalling $37.8 m since FY2020, across 32 lenders, with a median approval of $153,600, plus 63 504 approvals worth $35.2 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Otter Tail County get paid back?
Of the 27 loans that have reached a final outcome, 26 were paid in full and 1 charged off, a charge off rate of 3.7 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Otter Tail County?
89 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $25.1 m. Multifamily was 20.2 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Otter Tail 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 Otter Tail County come from?
The largest single origin is Otter Tail County Non-migrants, with 24,209 households. Arriving households report an average income of $76,792 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 Otter Tail 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 Otter Tail 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.