Pope County, Minnesota: commercial real estate data.
Pope County, Minnesota has a population of 11,418 across 670 square miles, up 1.6 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $750.3 m in 2024, 323 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 15 7(a) approvals worth $5.3 m.
116 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Pope County
How many people live in Pope County
- Population11,418
- Households4,958
- Average household size2.30
- Median household income$76,220
- Median age45.3
- Median gross rent$902 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$255,100
- Home value to household income3.3 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income14.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher23.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree7.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over8,279
- Population under 182,439
- Share under 1821.4 percent
- Population 65 and over2,912
- Share 65 and over25.5 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 646,067
- Civilian labor force5,795
- Unemployment rate1.3 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over64.5 percent
- Rank by population among Minnesota counties64th of 87
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents2394th
Pope County is the 64th 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 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 25.5 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.
Pope County
Is Pope County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base1.63 percent
- Census 2020 base population11,311
- Births, 2024129
- Deaths, 2024145
- Natural change, 2024-16
- Net domestic migration, 202478
- Net international migration, 202414
- Total net migration, 202492
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024197
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1292nd
The county has grown 1.63 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.
Pope County
Where people moving to Pope County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving290
- People arriving, from those returns503
- Adjusted gross income arriving$19.7 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$67,831
- Largest single originPope County Non-migrants (4,732 households)
- Largest single destination (4,732 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pope County Non-migrants | 4,732 | 9,731 | $395.8 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 174 | 291 | $13.2 m |
| Douglas County | 72 | 127 | $4.1 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 23 | 44 | $1.2 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 23 | 44 | $1.2 m |
| Stevens County | 21 | 41 | $1.2 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Pope 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.
Pope County
What the Pope County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$750.3 m
- County GDP, 2023$745.2 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20240.7 percent
- GDP change over five years34.5 percent
- Rank by GDP among Minnesota counties65th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2076th
- GDP per resident$65,713
Output grew 0.7 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.
Pope County
Who employs people in Pope County
- Covered employment, annual average4,459
- Establishments reporting381
- Average annual pay$56,347
- Average weekly wage$1,084
- Sector 31-33, employment803
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$71,026
- Sector 42, employment524
- Sector 42, average annual pay$77,603
- Sector 44-45, employment483
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$43,062
- Sector 72, employment294
- Sector 72, average annual pay$18,177
- Sector 23, employment166
- Sector 81, employment152
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 803 | 29 | $71,026 |
| Sector 42 | 524 | 16 | $77,603 |
| Sector 44-45 | 483 | 42 | $43,062 |
| Sector 72 | 294 | 32 | $18,177 |
| Sector 23 | 166 | 52 | $60,676 |
| Sector 81 | 152 | 47 | $24,628 |
| Sector 52 | 141 | 17 | $88,995 |
| Sector 54 | 80 | 19 | $63,018 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 803 jobs, 18.0 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.
Pope County
What businesses operate in Pope County
- Establishments, all industries323
- Employment at those establishments3,137
- Annual payroll$181.1 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents28.3
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.
Pope County
What is being built in Pope County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202437
- Declared construction value permitted$12.7 m
- Single family units authorised37
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$342,496
- Units authorised per 1,000 households7.5
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Pope County
How much SBA lending happens in Pope County
- 7(a) approvals recorded15
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$5.3 m
- Average 7(a) approval$355,400
- Median 7(a) approval$135,000
- 10th percentile approval$35,000
- 90th percentile approval$915,000
- Largest single approval$2,050,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)117
- Jobs per approval7.8
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active13
- Distinct industries receiving approvals13
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer6.7 percent
- Loans on real estate terms1
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter13
- Franchise loans2
- Franchise share of approvals13.3 percent
- Leading industry by approval countConstruction Sand and Gravel Mining (3)
- Most active lenderChoice Financial Group (2)
- 504 approvals recorded12
- 504 gross approval dollars$4.6 m
- Average 504 approval$381,083
- Median 504 approval$346,000
- Distinct CDCs active3
- 504 jobs per approval4.1
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved10.7
- Most active CDCMidwest Business Finance Corporation (10)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals55.6 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$9.9 m
The average approval of $355,400 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 6.7 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.
Pope County
Do SBA loans in Pope County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded6
- Paid in full6
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full6
- Status: Exempt from disclosure7
- Status: Cancelled2
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 6 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Pope County
Which parts of Pope County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending2
- Glenwood, approvals10
- STARBUCK, approvals5
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Glenwood | 10 | $1,796,000 |
| STARBUCK | 5 | $3,535,000 |
Glenwood accounts for 10 approvals against 5 in STARBUCK. 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.
Pope County
How big is Pope County
- Land area670 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Minnesota counties44th of 87
- Width, east to west30.4 mi
- Height, north to south24 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land17
- Establishments per square mile0.48
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 Pope 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 Pope County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population11,418
- Households4,958
- Average household size2.30
- Median household income$76,220
- Median age45.3
Common questions
Pope County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Pope County, Minnesota?
11,418, in 4,958 households, ranking 64th of 87 Minnesota counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Pope County growing?
The population has grown 1.63 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 129 births against 145 deaths, with net migration of 92. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Pope County?
$76,220. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $255,100, which is 3.3 times income, and median gross rent is $902 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Pope County?
323 establishments, employing 3,137 people with an annual payroll of $181.1 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 Pope County?
Average annual pay is $56,347, or $1,084 a week, across 4,459 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Pope County?
15 7(a) approvals totalling $5.3 m since FY2020, across 13 lenders, with a median approval of $135,000, plus 12 504 approvals worth $4.6 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Pope County?
37 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $12.7 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Pope 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 Pope County come from?
The largest single origin is Pope County Non-migrants, with 4,732 households. Arriving households report an average income of $67,831 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 Pope 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 Pope 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.