Official Federal Data
Lincoln County, Minnesota
FIPS 27081 · Population 5,603
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$69,694 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
4.5% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$588M ▼
GDP
25.7% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Small population: 5,603 residents. These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-year estimates, which carry a wide margin of error for places under 20,000 people. Read each value as an approximate range, and treat year-over-year changes as indicative rather than exact. A small shift can reflect survey sampling, not a real change on the ground.
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$69,694 ▲
Per Capita
$39,497 ▲
Mean Household
$90,304 ▲
Poverty Rate
11.9% ▲approx.
Median Income Comparison
Lincoln County$69,694
Minnesota$89,062
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 22.5%
18-34 · 16.3%
35-54 · 22.2%
55-64 · 14.2%
65+ · 24.9%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
94.2%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +4.6 pts
25.7%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 10.0 pts
6.8%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 7.3 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
5,603
Population
2,785
Labor Force
Employed
2,711
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
4.5% ▲ +1.2 pts YoY
Mean Commute 4 min below national avg
22.0 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
16.4%
Key Takeaways
- Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 10.0 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
- Aging population: Median age of 46 is materially above the U.S. norm; succession planning and senior-services demand are real factors.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Retail Trade employs 204 workers (27.6% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $27,015.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $588M (2024).
- Wage stratification: Construction averages $64,695 while Transportation and Warehousing averages $23,909, a 2.7x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
95
Cluster Employment
32.80x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Animal Production and Aquaculture
32.80x 95
Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
5.34x 60
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Animal Production and Aquaculture concentrates at 32.80x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Attraction whitespace: 3 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$164,400 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$674 ▲
Rent/Mo
81.4% ▲
Owner-Occ
19.7% ▼
Vacancy
2.4x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$671/mo
1 Bedroom
$742/mo
2 Bedroom
$973/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,283/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,288/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,742/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 2.4x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
- High home ownership: 81.4% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Elevated vacancy: 19.7% vacancy rate. In resort, rural, and seasonal markets much of this is recreational/seasonal (second homes), not available supply; confirm the vacancy-by-reason split before treating it as a redevelopment opportunity.
- Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,742/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
2,949 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 4 min below national avg
22.0 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
16.4%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
85.5%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
25.7% ▲
HS Diploma+
94.2% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
49,702/yr
14,847/yr
13,676/yr
12,870/yr
3,728/yr
2,468/yr
2,113/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
26.9%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
41.9%
Service
16.1%
Sales & Office
16.4%
Construction / Maint.
11.7%
Production / Transport
13.9%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 2,711 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 26.9% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 41,393 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Lincoln County shows strong potential for animal production and aquaculture attraction, with a 32.80x concentration and 95 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 26.9% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Lincoln County, Minnesota, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Lincoln County, Minnesota?
5,603 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Lincoln County, Minnesota?
$69,694 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Lincoln County, Minnesota?
4.5% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Lincoln County, Minnesota?
$588M (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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