Minnesota · PUMA · 2024 ACS PUMS
Benton (Northwest) & Stearns (West) Counties
A Census profile of the Benton (Northwest) & Stearns (West) Counties Public Use Microdata Area in Minnesota, from the 2024 American Community Survey. It is home to 112,546 people, with a median household income of $91,372 and a median age of 38.3.
Cities & areas covered: Benton County, Stearns County.
How Benton (Northwest) & Stearns (West) Counties compares to Minnesota
- Median household income here is $91,372, $4,060 above the Minnesota figure of $87,312.
- The bachelor's-degree rate here is 25.2%, 14.7% below the Minnesota figure of 39.9%.
- Homeownership here is 79.9%, 7.8% above the Minnesota figure of 72.1%.
- The poverty rate here is 6.8%, 2.4% below the Minnesota figure of 9.2%.
Benton (Northwest) & Stearns (West) Counties vs. Minnesota vs. the U.S.
Every figure is a weighted estimate from the 2024 ACS PUMS. The MN and U.S. columns are the state and population-weighted national averages, for comparison.
| Statistic | This PUMA | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $91,372 | $87,312 |
| Median family income | $107,616 | $114,216 |
| Mean wage (workers) | $54,564 | $66,056 |
| Median personal income (15+) | $40,610 | $41,828 |
| Poverty rate | 6.8% | 9.2% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.3% | 3.5% |
| Labor force participation (16+) | 70.5% | 68.3% |
| Mean hours worked / week | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Mean Interest, dividends, and net rental income | $1,798 | $2,723 |
| Mean Selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income | 21.0% | 22.0% |
| Mean All other income | $647 | $681 |
| Mean Public assistance income | $71 | $72 |
| Mean Total person's earnings | $41,526 | $47,845 |
| Mean Income-to-poverty ratio | 342.7 | 343.5 |
| Mean Retirement income | $3,652 | $3,496 |
| Mean Self-employment income | $3,462 | $2,642 |
| Mean Supplementary Security Income | $158 | $257 |
| Mean Social Security income | $3,512 | $4,046 |
| Statistic | This PUMA | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 25.2% | 39.9% |
| High school diploma or higher | 92.4% | 94.1% |
| Statistic | This PUMA | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Management | 10.3% | 11.8% |
| Business operations | 2.4% | 4.2% |
| Financial specialists | 2.4% | 2.1% |
| Computer & math | 1.8% | 3.7% |
| Architecture & engineering | 1.4% | 2.4% |
| Science | 0.3% | 1.3% |
| Community & social service | 1.3% | 2.1% |
| Legal | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| Education instruction | 5.5% | 6.3% |
| Arts, design & media | 1.8% | 2.2% |
| Healthcare practitioners | 4.6% | 7.1% |
| Healthcare support | 5.4% | 3.9% |
| Protective service | 1.5% | 1.3% |
| Food prep & serving | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| Building & grounds cleaning | 3.8% | 3.0% |
| Personal care | 2.4% | 2.6% |
| Sales | 9.1% | 8.7% |
| Office & admin support | 9.3% | 9.6% |
| Farming, fishing & forestry | 1.0% | 0.8% |
| Construction | 7.8% | 4.5% |
| Extraction | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Installation & repair | 3.1% | 2.7% |
| Production | 8.0% | 6.2% |
| Transportation & moving | 10.4% | 6.9% |
| Military | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Agriculture & forestry (industry) | 3.9% | 2.0% |
| Mining & oil/gas (industry) | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Utilities (industry) | 1.7% | 0.6% |
| Construction (industry) | 11.6% | 6.6% |
| Manufacturing (industry) | 11.8% | 12.5% |
| Wholesale trade (industry) | 3.9% | 1.8% |
| Retail trade (industry) | 9.0% | 11.0% |
| Transportation & warehousing (industry) | 5.3% | 4.0% |
| Information (industry) | 0.8% | 1.3% |
| Finance & insurance (industry) | 5.9% | 6.9% |
| Professional & technical (industry) | 7.5% | 10.5% |
| Educational services (industry) | 8.6% | 9.1% |
| Health care (industry) | 13.0% | 13.6% |
| Social assistance (industry) | 2.5% | 3.0% |
| Arts & entertainment (industry) | 5.8% | 8.3% |
| Other services (industry) | 4.0% | 4.6% |
| Public administration (industry) | 4.3% | 3.6% |
| Armed forces (industry) | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| Statistic | This PUMA | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Uninsured | 5.8% | 5.3% |
| Private insurance | 78.0% | 73.4% |
| Public insurance | 32.2% | 35.5% |
| With a disability | 13.0% | 12.7% |
| Statistic | This PUMA | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Mean commute time | 26 min | 23 min |
| Drove to work | 88.5% | 79.1% |
| Public transit to work | 0.1% | 1.6% |
| Worked from home | 7.9% | 14.6% |
| Mean Weeks worked | 34.5 | 33.4 |
| Statistic | This PUMA | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $300,000 | $327,000 |
| Median gross rent | $1,050 | $1,290 |
| Rent as % of income | 27.0% | 29.0% |
| Homeownership rate | 79.9% | 72.1% |
| Average household size | 2.6 | 2.4 |
| Median bedrooms | 3 | 3 |
| Median rooms | 7 | 6 |
| Median year built | 1980 | 1970 |
| Vehicles per household | 2.2 | 1.9 |
| No vehicle | 5.0% | 6.9% |
| Single-family detached | 79.1% | 65.8% |
| Broadband internet | 95.1% | 94.7% |
| Median Condominium and/or homeowners association fee | $0 | $0 |
| Median Electricity cost | $150 | $130 |
| Median Fuel cost | $1,000 | $800 |
| Median Gas cost | $100 | $80 |
| Mean Age of the householder | 52.1 | 52.1 |
| Median Mobile home costs | $1,800 | $980 |
| Median First mortgage payment | $1,300 | $1,500 |
| Mean Number of own children in household | 0.7 | 0.5 |
| Mean Number of related children in household | 0.7 | 0.5 |
| Median Monthly rent | $900 | $1,200 |
| Median Selected monthly owner costs | $1,283 | $1,465 |
| Median Total payment on all second and junior mortgages and home equity loans | $490 | $420 |
| Median Property taxes | $2,850 | $3,350 |
| Median Water cost | $560 | $520 |
| Statistic | This PUMA | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 112,546 | 5,793,151 |
| Average age | 38.3 | 39.8 |
| Married (15+) | 56.3% | 50.4% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 5.5% | 6.7% |
| Black | 1.9% | 7.5% |
| Asian | 0.8% | 5.3% |
| Mean Fire/hazard/flood insurance | $1,817 | $1,897 |
| Mean Number of persons in family | 2.2 | 1.9 |
Benton (Northwest) & Stearns (West) Counties — FAQ
What is the population of the Benton (Northwest) & Stearns (West) Counties PUMA?+
The Benton (Northwest) & Stearns (West) Counties PUMA in Minnesota has a population of 112,546, per the 2024 American Community Survey (ACS) PUMS.
What is the median household income in Benton (Northwest) & Stearns (West) Counties, MN?+
Median household income in the Benton (Northwest) & Stearns (West) Counties PUMA is $91,372, compared with $87,312 across Minnesota and $83,310 nationally.
What cities and counties are in the Benton (Northwest) & Stearns (West) Counties PUMA?+
The Benton (Northwest) & Stearns (West) Counties PUMA covers Benton County, Stearns County. PUMAs are built from whole counties or, in denser areas, groups of census tracts, so one PUMA can span several places.
What is a PUMA?+
A PUMA (Public Use Microdata Area) is a U.S. Census geography of roughly 100,000 or more people — the most detailed level at which ACS PUMS microdata is released. Minnesota contains 48 PUMAs.
Where does this Benton (Northwest) & Stearns (West) Counties data come from?+
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 ACS Public Use Microdata Sample — a de-identified, weighted sample of individual records. PUMSdata is an independent product and is not affiliated with the Census Bureau.