Nelson, MN Demographics

A map of Nelson's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	144	161	92.9%	88.5%
Hispanic	8	8	5.2%	4.4%
Multiracial	2	10	1.3%	5.5%
Native American/Other	1	2	0.6%	1.1%
Black	0	1	0.0%	0.5%
Asian	0	0	0.0%	0.0%

Nelson, Minnesota has an estimated population of 155, a large decrease from the 182 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 92.9% White, 5.2% Hispanic, 1.3% Multiracial, 0.6% Native American/Other, 0.0% Black, and 0.0% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Nelson, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Nelson has become considerably less 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 Nelson, that probability was 21.2% in 2020 and 13.4% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Nelson is ranked the 734th most populous place in Minnesota, out of 915 places. This ranking is based on the Census definition of a place, which includes incorporated places like cities, towns, and villages, as well as unincorporated census-designated places (CDPs). Nelson was ranked the 701st most populous place in the 2020 Census.

Nelson's White Population

144 residents of Nelson, or 92.9% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Nelson is significantly higher than in Minnesota overall, where 75.9% of the population is White. Nelson ranks 559th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 915 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Nelson's White population has declined by an estimated 10.6%. White residents' share of Nelson's population has increased from 88.5% to 92.9%.

Nelson is more White than neighboring Carlos (92% White), and Alexandria (89.6% White). Nelson is less White than neighboring Osakis (97% White), Forada (95% White), and Miltona (93.8% White).

Nelson's Black Population

0 residents of Nelson, or 0.0% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Nelson is lower than in Minnesota overall, where 6.9% of the population is Black. Nelson ranks 395th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 915 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Nelson's Black population has declined by an estimated 100.0%. Black residents' share of Nelson's population has decreased from 0.5% to 0.0%.

Nelson is less Black than neighboring Carlos (1.4% Black), Alexandria (0.9% Black), Osakis (0.6% Black), and Forada (2.5% Black).

Nelson's Asian Population

0 residents of Nelson, or 0.0% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Nelson is lower than in Minnesota overall, where 5.1% of the population is Asian. Nelson ranks 614th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 915 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Nelson's Asian population has grown from 0 to an estimated 0. Asian residents' share of Nelson's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.0%.

Nelson is less Asian than neighboring Alexandria (0.6% Asian), and Miltona (0.7% Asian).

Nelson's Hispanic Population

8 residents of Nelson, or 5.2% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Nelson is comparable to the share in Minnesota overall, where 6.4% of the population is Hispanic. Nelson ranks 282nd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 915 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Nelson's Hispanic population has remained roughly the same. Hispanic residents' share of Nelson's population has increased from 4.4% to 5.2%.

Nelson is more Hispanic than neighboring Carlos (1.8% Hispanic), Alexandria (4.6% Hispanic), Osakis (0.5% Hispanic), Forada (1.2% Hispanic), and Miltona (1.7% Hispanic).

Nelson's Native American/Other Population

1 residents of Nelson, or 0.6% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Nelson is comparable to the share in Minnesota overall, where 1.2% of the population is Native American/Other. Nelson ranks 284th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 915 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Nelson's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 50.0%. Native American/Other residents' share of Nelson's population has decreased from 1.1% to 0.6%.

Nelson is more Native American/Other than neighboring Carlos (0% Native American/Other), and Osakis (0% Native American/Other). Nelson is less Native American/Other than neighboring Alexandria (1.4% Native American/Other), and Miltona (1.4% Native American/Other).

Nelson's Multiracial Population

2 residents of Nelson, or 1.3% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Nelson is slightly lower than in Minnesota overall, where 4.5% of the population is Multiracial. Nelson ranks 131st statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 915 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Nelson's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 80.0%. Multiracial residents' share of Nelson's population has decreased from 5.5% to 1.3%.

Nelson is more Multiracial than neighboring Forada (0.6% Multiracial). Nelson is less Multiracial than neighboring Carlos (4.9% Multiracial), Alexandria (2.8% Multiracial), Osakis (1.9% Multiracial), and Miltona (2.4% 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.