Cottonwood County, Minnesota Housing Market

In Cottonwood County, Minnesota, the median home value is $169,300, with a median monthly rent of $817. This places Cottonwood County at #1816 nationally out of 3134 counties by median home value, and #67 within Minnesota.

Median Home Value $169,300
Median Rent $817/mo
Owner Occupancy 74.4%
Price/Rent Ratio 17.3

📈 Price Trend (2017 → 2024)

📊 Recent Market Momentum (FHFA HPI)

FHFA House Price Index — All-Transactions, Annual (2000 = 100) · Latest: 2025

💡 Year-over-Year Trend: Home prices in Cottonwood County rose +4.5% year-over-year as of 2025. (Source: FHFA)

📍 Economic Snapshot

💼

Employment & Wages

3,759
jobs (private sector)
  • Avg weekly wage: $971
  • Establishments: 393
  • BLS QCEW, 2025
🏗️

Housing Supply

10
new units authorized (2025)
  • Single-family: 10
  • Multi-family: 0
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey
🚚

Migration Patterns

+326
net migration (filers, 2021-2022)
  • Inflow: 4,746 (avg $72,226)
  • Outflow: 4,420 (avg $74,218)
  • IRS Statistics of Income

📍 Sub-Market Activity

Top 1 active ZIP codes in Cottonwood County · Latest: 2025

# ZIP Code HPI YoY Change Latest Year
1 56101 237.7 +13.33% 2025

Source: FHFA HPI for Five-Digit ZIP Codes (All-Transactions Index, 2000 = 100).
This product uses FHFA Data but is neither endorsed nor certified by FHFA.

How Cottonwood County Compares

MetricCottonwood CountyMinnesota AverageU.S. Average
Median Home Value $169,300 $238,335 $227,706
Median Gross Rent $817 $938 $968
Owner Occupancy Rate 74.4% 77.9% 73.3%
Price/Rent Ratio 17.3 21.1 18.7

Market Analysis

The median home value in Cottonwood County is 29.0% below the Minnesota state average and 25.6% below the U.S. national average. The median rent of $817/month is 12.9% below the state average.

With a price-to-rent ratio of 17.3, the buy-vs-rent decision in Cottonwood County is balanced. Whether buying or renting makes more sense depends on your time horizon, down payment capacity, and local market conditions.

Cottonwood County has an owner-occupancy rate of 74.4%, compared to 77.9% in Minnesota and 73.3% nationally. This indicates a more homeowner-heavy market than the U.S. average.

Similar Counties by Home Value

CountyStateMedian Home ValueMedian Rent
Greene County Arkansas $169,300 $904
Newton County Arkansas $169,300 $617
St. Francois County Missouri $169,300 $794
Cherokee County Texas $169,300 $933
DeKalb County Missouri $169,200 $817

Other Counties in Minnesota

CountyMedian Home ValueMedian RentOwner Occ.
Big Stone County $169,100 $745 79.7%
Freeborn County $171,100 $849 79.5%
Wadena County $173,000 $746 73.6%
Marshall County $164,500 $690 83.0%
Lincoln County $164,400 $674 81.4%

Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2024 5-Year Estimates (2017–2024). Variables: B25077 (Median Home Value), B25064 (Median Gross Rent), B25003 (Tenure). Data collected on 2026-10-14. The price-to-rent ratio is calculated as Median Home Value ÷ (Median Monthly Rent × 12).