Cottonwood County Demographics

A map of Cottonwood County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	9,172	9,418	80.0%	81.8%
Hispanic	1,298	1,115	11.3%	9.7%
Asian	435	361	3.8%	3.1%
Multiracial	221	330	1.9%	2.9%
Black	190	135	1.7%	1.2%
Native American/Other	142	158	1.2%	1.4%

Cottonwood County, Minnesota has an estimated population of 11,458, a less than 1% change from the 11,517 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 80.0% White, 11.3% Hispanic, 3.8% Asian, 1.9% Multiracial, 1.7% Black, and 1.2% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Cottonwood County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Cottonwood has become more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Minnesota overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Cottonwood County, that probability was 32.0% in 2020 and 34.4% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Cottonwood County is ranked the 63rd most populous county in Minnesota, out of 87 counties. Cottonwood County was ranked the 63rd most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Cottonwood County's White Population

9,172 residents of Cottonwood County, or 80.0% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Cottonwood County is slightly higher than in Minnesota overall, where 75.9% of the population is White. Cottonwood County ranks 70th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 87 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cottonwood County's White population has declined by an estimated 2.6%. White residents' share of Cottonwood County's population has decreased from 81.8% to 80.0%.

Cottonwood County is more White than neighboring Watonwan County (67.7% White). Cottonwood County is less White than neighboring Jackson County (89.8% White), Redwood County (85.1% White), Brown County (91.4% White), and Murray County (89.1% White).

Cottonwood County's Black Population

190 residents of Cottonwood County, or 1.7% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Cottonwood County is lower than in Minnesota overall, where 6.9% of the population is Black. Cottonwood County ranks 34th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 87 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cottonwood County's Black population has grown by an estimated 40.7%. Black residents' share of Cottonwood County's population has increased from 1.2% to 1.7%.

Cottonwood County is more Black than neighboring Jackson County (0.5% Black), Redwood County (0.6% Black), Brown County (0.9% Black), Watonwan County (0% Black), and Murray County (0.7% Black).

Cottonwood County's Asian Population

435 residents of Cottonwood County, or 3.8% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Cottonwood County is comparable to the share in Minnesota overall, where 5.1% of the population is Asian. Cottonwood County ranks 13th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 87 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cottonwood County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 20.5%. Asian residents' share of Cottonwood County's population has increased from 3.1% to 3.8%.

Cottonwood County is more Asian than neighboring Jackson County (1.3% Asian), Redwood County (2.7% Asian), Brown County (0.5% Asian), Watonwan County (0.3% Asian), and Murray County (0.9% Asian).

Cottonwood County's Hispanic Population

1,298 residents of Cottonwood County, or 11.3% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Cottonwood County is slightly higher than in Minnesota overall, where 6.4% of the population is Hispanic. Cottonwood County ranks 9th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 87 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cottonwood County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 16.4%. Hispanic residents' share of Cottonwood County's population has increased from 9.7% to 11.3%.

Cottonwood County is more Hispanic than neighboring Jackson County (4.9% Hispanic), Redwood County (4.2% Hispanic), Brown County (5.1% Hispanic), and Murray County (5.2% Hispanic). Cottonwood County is less Hispanic than neighboring Watonwan County (30.4% Hispanic).

Cottonwood County's Native American/Other Population

142 residents of Cottonwood County, or 1.2% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Cottonwood County is comparable to the share in Minnesota overall, where 1.2% of the population is Native American/Other. Cottonwood County ranks 31st statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 87 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cottonwood County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 10.1%. Native American/Other residents' share of Cottonwood County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.2%.

Cottonwood County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Jackson County (0.2% Native American/Other), Brown County (0.7% Native American/Other), Watonwan County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Murray County (1.1% Native American/Other). Cottonwood County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Redwood County (3.8% Native American/Other).

Cottonwood County's Multiracial Population

221 residents of Cottonwood County, or 1.9% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Cottonwood County is slightly lower than in Minnesota overall, where 4.5% of the population is Multiracial. Cottonwood County ranks 56th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 87 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cottonwood County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 33.0%. Multiracial residents' share of Cottonwood County's population has decreased from 2.9% to 1.9%.

Cottonwood County is more Multiracial than neighboring Brown County (1.4% Multiracial), and Watonwan County (1.2% Multiracial). Cottonwood County is less Multiracial than neighboring Jackson County (3.3% Multiracial), Redwood County (3.7% Multiracial), and Murray County (3% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.