Pennington County Demographics

A map of Pennington County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	12,113	12,241	87.8%	87.5%
Hispanic	678	671	4.9%	4.8%
Multiracial	580	562	4.2%	4.0%
Asian	211	121	1.5%	0.9%
Native American/Other	122	220	0.9%	1.6%
Black	87	177	0.6%	1.3%

Pennington County, Minnesota has an estimated population of 13,791, a slight decrease from the 13,992 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 87.8% White, 4.9% Hispanic, 4.2% Multiracial, 1.5% Asian, 0.9% Native American/Other, and 0.6% Black. This demographic dot map shows the population of Pennington County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Pennington has become slightly 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 Pennington County, that probability was 23.0% in 2020 and 22.4% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Pennington County is ranked the 60th most populous county in Minnesota, out of 87 counties. Pennington County was ranked the 59th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Pennington County's White Population

12,113 residents of Pennington County, or 87.8% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Pennington County is considerably higher than in Minnesota overall, where 75.9% of the population is White. Pennington County ranks 46th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 87 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Pennington County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.0%. White residents' share of Pennington County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 87.8%.

Pennington County is more White than neighboring Polk County (84% White), and Mahnomen County (44.4% White). Pennington County is less White than neighboring Red Lake County (90.9% White), Marshall County (91% White), and Roseau County (88.4% White).

Pennington County's Black Population

87 residents of Pennington County, or 0.6% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Pennington County is lower than in Minnesota overall, where 6.9% of the population is Black. Pennington County ranks 32nd statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 87 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Pennington County's Black population has declined by an estimated 50.8%. Black residents' share of Pennington County's population has decreased from 1.3% to 0.6%.

Pennington County is more Black than neighboring Red Lake County (0.5% Black), Marshall County (0.4% Black), and Mahnomen County (0.1% Black). Pennington County is less Black than neighboring Polk County (2% Black), and Roseau County (0.8% Black).

Pennington County's Asian Population

211 residents of Pennington County, or 1.5% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Pennington County is slightly lower than in Minnesota overall, where 5.1% of the population is Asian. Pennington County ranks 33rd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 87 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Pennington County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 74.4%. Asian residents' share of Pennington County's population has increased from 0.9% to 1.5%.

Pennington County is more Asian than neighboring Red Lake County (0.4% Asian), Marshall County (0.3% Asian), Polk County (0.8% Asian), and Mahnomen County (0.5% Asian). Pennington County is less Asian than neighboring Roseau County (2.6% Asian).

Pennington County's Hispanic Population

678 residents of Pennington County, or 4.9% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Pennington County is comparable to the share in Minnesota overall, where 6.4% of the population is Hispanic. Pennington County ranks 34th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 87 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Pennington County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 1.0%. Hispanic residents' share of Pennington County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 4.9%.

Pennington County is more Hispanic than neighboring Red Lake County (3.6% Hispanic), Marshall County (4.8% Hispanic), Roseau County (2% Hispanic), and Mahnomen County (4.1% Hispanic). Pennington County is less Hispanic than neighboring Polk County (6.9% Hispanic).

Pennington County's Native American/Other Population

122 residents of Pennington County, or 0.9% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Pennington County is comparable to the share in Minnesota overall, where 1.2% of the population is Native American/Other. Pennington County ranks 24th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 87 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Pennington County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 44.5%. Native American/Other residents' share of Pennington County's population has decreased from 1.6% to 0.9%.

Pennington County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Marshall County (0.7% Native American/Other). Pennington County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Red Lake County (1.7% Native American/Other), Polk County (1.6% Native American/Other), Roseau County (1.2% Native American/Other), and Mahnomen County (34.2% Native American/Other).

Pennington County's Multiracial Population

580 residents of Pennington County, or 4.2% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Pennington County is comparable to the share in Minnesota overall, where 4.5% of the population is Multiracial. Pennington County ranks 24th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 87 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Pennington County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 3.2%. Multiracial residents' share of Pennington County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 4.2%.

Pennington County is more Multiracial than neighboring Red Lake County (2.9% Multiracial), and Marshall County (2.8% Multiracial). Pennington County is less Multiracial than neighboring Polk County (4.7% Multiracial), Roseau County (5% Multiracial), and Mahnomen County (16.7% 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.